Dave Whelan

David "Dave" Whelan (born 24 November 1936) is an English former footballer. During his football career, he played for Blackburn Rovers and Crewe Alexandra. Whelan is the owner of League One club Wigan Athletic, having also been the chairman of the club for twenty years, before passing the position over to his grandson, David Sharpe. He is also owner of the DW Stadium, home to League One club Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors (rugby league). In July 2015 Dave Whelan received an honorary degree from the University of Bolton, making him a Doctor of Business Administration.

Early life

Whelan was born in Bradford, and raised in Wigan. His forebears hailed from County Tipperary, Ireland.

Football career

Whelan was a member of Blackburn Rovers' 1960 FA Cup Final team, which lost 3–0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Whelan himself did not complete the game, a feisty challenge from Whelan culminated in the Blackburn man being withdrawn before half time due to a broken leg. Whelan's injury is one of many serious injuries suffered by players in the 1950–60 era and was known as the Wembley hoodoo. Following his leg break, Whelan was sold to Crewe Alexandra F.C. where he played for several years before retiring to concentrate fully on his chain of supermarkets, Whelan's Discount Stores, which were sold to Ken Morrison for over a million pounds.

Wigan Athletic F.C.

Wigan Athletic Football Club, nicknamed "Latics", is an English professional football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, that competes in League One, the third tier of English football. Founded in 1932, the club have played at the DW Stadium since 1999, which they share with rugby league club Wigan Warriors; since their foundation, they had previously played at Springfield Park.

The team were elected to The Football League in 1978, and competed in the Premier League from 2005 to 2013. They won the 2012–13 FA Cup, and have also won the Second Division, Third Division and are two-times winners of the Football League Trophy, along with numerous regional football competitions from their time as a non-league club. The club embarked on its first European campaign during the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League.

History

Local leagues 1932–1978

Wigan Athletic was formed in 1932, following the winding up of Wigan Borough the previous year. Wigan Athletic was the fifth attempt to create a stable football club in the town following the demise of Wigan County, Wigan United, Wigan Town and Wigan Borough. Springfield Park, the former home of Wigan Borough, was purchased by the club for £2,850. Despite their initial application being turned down, Wigan Athletic were elected into the Cheshire County League following the resignation of Manchester Central. The club had also made the first of many attempts to be admitted into the Football League, but failed to receive a single vote. On 27 August 1932, Wigan Athletic played their first ever league game against Port Vale Reserves. The team played in red and white shirts with black shorts.

Dave

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See also