He is most renowned for his heroics during the 1927–28 season, when he set a league record with 60 goals. He also scored 18 goals in 16 England games. In May 2001, a statue of Dean was installed outside Goodison Park. The striker's popularity remains high among Everton fans.
Dean started his career with Bury before joining Liverpool in 1923. He helped the club to the English League Championship in 1924–25 and 1926–27. During this time, he also earned selection for England on seven occasions. In 1928, he moved to America where he played for Brooklyn Dodgers until 1930. Upon his return to England, he signed for Chelsea but only made one appearance before retiring at the end of the 1931–32 season.
After retiring from football, Dean worked as a customs officer at King's Cross station in London. He died in October 1958 at the age of 50. Today, schools all over the world celebrate him every year by observing Sports Day on 10 November.
The word "dixie" comes from the Irish language and means young boy or young man. Therefore, "Dixie Dean" could be translated as "the young boys" or "the young men".
Dean also scored 22 goals in cup and representative matches this season, giving him a total of 82 goals for the season. Dean was only 22 years old at the time, a relative newcomer in football standards. However, he already had a record that would last for many years.
He made his debut on 14 April 1893, in a game against Gainsborough Trinity, and scored a goal within the first five minutes - this was the start of one of the most amazing careers in football history. By the end of the season, he had become the youngest player ever to score 100 goals or more in all competitions, breaking the previous record held by Billy Meredith.
His record has been beaten several times since then, but it still stands today. At the age of 23, Dean had already played for Lincoln City, Notts County and Chesterfield and won two international caps with England before retiring due to injury. After ending his career at Chesterfield, Dean went on to have a successful coaching career, taking charge of Lincoln City, Grimsby Town and Southampton among others. He died at the young age of 36 in 1953.
Dean came from a poor family and often spent his wages on food and clothes. When not playing football, he worked as a barber's assistant.
Dean moved to Everton (1925-38), where he helped the team to success by scoring 349 goals in 399 games and setting an English record of 60 goals in a single season (1927-28). He also set a record by scoring three or more goals in 37 different matches. He subsequently played one more top-flight season with Notts County (1938–39). Overall, Dean scored 400 goals in 464 games in all competitions.
Dean died at the age of 36 in his home town of Liverpool. The cause of death was heart failure due to a chronic infection.
Dean earned the nickname "Dixie" while playing for Everton. His family lived in Canada during most of his early years there, so "Dixie" is how they spoke about him.
He returned to England when he was 18 years old and soon became a regular player for his new club, Liverpool. Although he spent most of his time as a forward, he also used his head well and was capable of scoring goals from any position on the field. He helped Liverpool win the English League Championship in 1927 and 1928. That made him the first player to score 100 league goals in the history of the English game.
After his spell with Liverpool, Dean went back to Canada where he played for Montreal Olympic and then Toronto Varsity. In 1933, he returned to England where he joined Derry City until retiring in 1937. After his retirement, he worked as a coach at Everton until 1940.
60 objectives In the 1927-28 season, 21-year-old William Ralph "Dixie" Dean set a club record with 60 goals in 39 appearances for Everton. His record is unlikely to be broken any time soon. The modern game is based on tactics and skill, not goal scoring prowess. Even so, some players find ways to score even more than Dean did back then. Namely, professional athletes.
Dean was born on January 4th, 1895 In rural Tennessee, about 30 miles south of Nashville. He grew up there with his mother and siblings after his father died when he was only nine years old. He showed an early talent for soccer and at age 14 he began playing professionally with Nashville Central Rovers of the American Soccer League. The team went undefeated during its first season in 1926-27, including a 9-0-0 start, and won the ASL championship. That same year, they also lost the final of the National Challenge Cup to Chicago's Hertha BSC 1-0.
After one season with Nashville Central Rovers, Dean signed with English club Everton. He came to England with no knowledge of the language or the culture and had to work hard to learn both. However, he quickly made friends with many of the other players and earned their trust by being honest and hardworking.
Dean scored four goals in Everton's 5-3 victory over Burnley, but he hobbled off hurt. It all came down to the final home game against Arsenal on May 5, 1928, and trainer Harry Cooke worked his magic to ensure Dixie was fit to play. He removed the ankle support that had been applied after Dean's injury and told him it was now time to get back into shape.
With only three weeks to prepare, Cooke took a risk by letting Dean run around with the team during training sessions but the gamble paid off. On the day of the match, Cooke gave the 30-year-old extra attention before the game -- cleaning his teeth with a shotgun -- but still managed to beat him by five minutes. The Toffeeos lost 1-0 but it didn't matter; they were back in business.
After the game, manager Howard Kendall praised Dean for his contribution to the club's return to the top flight. "Dixie has earned himself a place in Everton history by helping us regain our place in the First Division," said Kendall. "He's been an inspiration to everyone who's met him."
In later years, Cooke explained that he'd wanted to give Dean something to aim at during practice drills so he could feel like he was part of the team again.
Dean's most notable achievement is that he is still the only player in English football history to score 60 league goals in a single season (1927–28). He was 21 years old at the end of that season.
Everton did not retain the championship, and in an unusual turn of events, they were demoted for one season. Dixie Dean captained his team to promotion back to the First Division in 1930/31 and a second title in 1932. In 1933, they also won the FA Cup. Dixie was the first person to wear the number nine.
Born and raised in Birkenhead, he joined Everton in 1925 for a then-record price. With his prodigious goal scoring, he made the number nine shirt eponymous. What elevates his standing is the fact that he stayed with Everton when they transitioned from the Premier League to the Second Division and back again. His devotion and persistence know no bounds.
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