Walter James Rowley (14 April 1891 – 22 March 1976) was an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

around

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and a

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

during and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He spent some 47 years playing and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

ing in the Football League. He played for

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic be ...

and Bolton Wanderers, spending 13 years with the latter club. After spending many years as part of Bolton's back-room staff, he was appointed as manager in August 1944. He spent six years in charge before retiring due to ill health. He coached

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

from June 1952 to February 1954, before again stepping side due to illness. His final management role was at

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...

from July 1955 until June 1957.

Playing career

Rowley played village football before joining

of the Football League First Division in 1910. The "Latics" finished seventh in 1910–11 and 18th in 1911–12 (just one place and one point above the

relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

zone). He left

Boundary Park Boundary Park is a football stadium in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Its name originates from the fact that it lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively. Bound ...

and moved on to Bolton Wanderers in 1912, and made his debut against

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...

in February 1913. The "Trotters" finished eighth in 1912–13, sixth in 1913–14, and 17th in 1914–15. During the war he played two games for

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...

in 1919 in the war league, before returning to

Burnden Park Burnden Park was the home of English football club Bolton Wanderers who played home games there between 1895 and 1997. As well as hosting the 1901 FA Cup Final replay, it was the scene in 1946 of one of the greatest disasters in English footba ...

. Bolton finished sixth in 1919–20, third in 1920–21, sixth again in 1921–22, and 13th in 1922–23. Wanderers also won the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

, though Rowley missed the

1923 FA Cup Final The 1923 FA Cup Final was an association football match between Bolton Wanderers F.C., Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United F.C., West Ham United on 28 April 1923 at the original Wembley Stadium (1923), Wembley Stadium in London. The showpiece ...

against

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

because he was serving a six-week suspension for being

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

against

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...

. They went on to finished in fourth place in 1923–24 and in third place in 1924–25. He retired through injury in May 1925, and joined the club's

ing staff. He had made 191 league and FA Cup appearances for the club, scoring seven goals.

Managerial career

Bolton Wanderers

Rowley became a coach with Bolton before he took over as

at the latter end of

, before the Football League proper started, following

Charles Foweraker Charles Foweraker (11 March 1877 – July 1950) was an English football manager, serving in that capacity at Bolton Wanderers from 1919 to 1944, making him the club's longest-serving manager. He is also their most successful manager, winning ...

's retirement in August 1944. During his reign the club won the Football League North War Cup, and made First Division league finishes of 18th in 1946–47, 17th in 1947–48, 14th in 1948–49, and 16th in 1949–50. Rowley had to resign due to ill health in October 1950. He was made a life member of the club for his 37 years of service as player, coach and manager. His successor,

Bill Ridding William Ridding (4 April 1911 – 20 September 1981)England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) also known as Nibbler Ridding, was an English football player and manager, most notably in a 17-year period manag ...

, led Bolton to eighth spot in 1950–51.

Middlesbrough

Fully recovered, he took over at

in 1952. He led the Ayresome Park club to 13th in the First Division in 1952–53. Ill health again forced him to resign in March 1954, and his replacement, Bob Dennison, failed to steer the club away from the relegation zone by the end of the 1953–54 campaign.

Shrewsbury Town

Fully fit again, Rowley returned to management at

in 1955. Under his stewardship, the "Shrews" posted 13th and ninth-place finishes in the

Third Division South The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to ...

in 1955–56 and 1956–57. He left the game after departing the

Gay Meadow Gay Meadow was the home ground of Shrewsbury Town football club in Shropshire, England. Just outside the town centre, on the banks of the River Severn, it opened in 1910. The ground closed at the end of the 2006-07 Football League season and t ...

Career statistics

Managerial statistics

Source:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowley, Walter 1891 births 1976 deaths People from Little Hulton Men's association football midfielders English men's footballers Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players Bolton Wanderers F.C. players Port Vale F.C. wartime guest players English Football League players Association football coaches Bolton Wanderers F.C. non-playing staff English football managers Bolton Wanderers F.C. managers Middlesbrough F.C. managers Shrewsbury Town F.C. managers English Football League managers