James Horatio Thorpe (16 September 1913 – 9 February 1936) was an English footballer born in

Jarrow Jarrow ( or ) is a town in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is situated on the south bank of the River Tyne, about from the east coast. It is home to the southern portal of the Tyne ...

. He played 139 games as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for his only club,

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

. He signed when he was 17 after attending Jarrow Central School. He had a promising career, becoming starter for the club from 1932-33 season, when he was still only 19 years old. His life and career were cut short on 1 February 1936 when he was kicked in the head and chest after he had picked up the ball following a

backpass In association football, the back-pass rule prohibits the goalkeeper from handling the ball in most cases when it is passed to them by a team-mate. It is described in Law 12, Section 2 of the Laws of the Game. Award Goalkeepers are normally all ...

in a game against

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

Roker Park Roker Park was a football ground in Roker, Sunderland, England, which was the home of Sunderland A.F.C. from 1898 to 1997, before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Its final capacity was around 22,500, with only a small part being seated; ...

. He continued to take part until the match finished, but collapsed at home afterwards and died in hospital four days later from

diabetes mellitus Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

and heart failure 'accelerated by the rough usage of the opposing team' This tragic end to Thorpe's career led to a change in the rules, where players were no longer allowed to raise their foot to a goalkeeper when he had control of the ball in his arms. Though Thorpe may be little known, even in the North East, goalkeepers around the world doubtlessly owe a debt to him. The changed rules now says that players cannot kick the ball out of the goalkeeper's hands. Sunderland went on to win the Championship that same year, and his medal was presented to his widow. During the 75th Anniversary of the game between Sunderland and Chelsea both goalkeepers wore black armbands as a mark of respects for Jimmy's efforts. He was survived by his wife May and three-year-old son Ronnie. Some 70 years after Jimmy Thorpe's death, his son contributed towards a book penned by local historian John Kelters, ''1 Jimmy Thorpe''. May Thorpe remarried in 1940 to John Linklater Battye. Widowed again on the death of her second husband in 1976, she later moved to

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, and died at

Ulverston Ulverston is a market town and a civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 11,524, increasing at the 2011 census to 11,678. Historically in Lancashire, it lies a few mi ...

in the county in 1991, at the age of 77.

Honours

* First Division: 1935–36

References

External links

Full details of Sunderland career
1913 births 1936 deaths English footballers Association football goalkeepers Sunderland A.F.C. players Association football players who died while playing Place of birth missing Sport deaths in England Sportspeople from Jarrow English Football League players Footballers from Tyne and Wear {{England-footy-goalkeeper-stub