Calvin Symonds was the first black player at Rochdale, he created that piece of history when he made his debut on 15th September 1955 in a game at Barrow. He is delighted to feature in the Rochdale chapter of ‘Football’s Black Pioneers’. We are so pleased to have recorded his place in football history.
Rochdale were the 30th club currently in the Football League to field a black player and in 1961 they created another piece of history when they became the first club in the English Football League to employ a black manager (Tony Collins). Calvin is 18th in our chronological list of first black players (some players were the first at more than one club), well ahead of players like Viv Anderson, Laurie Cunningham and Chris Kamara.
Calvin has fond memories of his time with Rochdale (“the people were nice over there”) and remembers coming up against the likes of Busby Babes, Bobby Charlton and Tommy Taylor, while playing for the reserves.
Calvin is now 88 and living in Bermuda where he was born. As you can see, he has kept in great shape!