Alan Hodgkinson
A goalkeeper whose true legacy was forged not on the pitch, but in a generation of world-class shot-stoppers he trained.
1936–2015 (age 79)·English footballer and coach·Birthday: August 16·The Silent Generation
Biography
Alan Hodgkinson’s playing career was solid and respectable, a reliable presence in goal for Sheffield United and a handful of appearances for England. But the story that truly defines him began when he hung up his gloves. In the 1970s, he pioneered the specialized role of the goalkeeping coach in English football, a position that was barely recognized at the time. His meticulous, technical approach transformed how the position was taught. Hodgkinson’s influence seeped into the very fabric of the game, as he worked with the Scottish national team and later became a sought-after tutor for elite clubs. His pupils read like a who’s who of great keepers, from Jim Leighton to a young David de Gea, each carrying a piece of his methodical philosophy. He received an MBE for services to football and coaching, a testament to a life spent redefining a craft from the shadows.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Alan was born in 1936, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1936
#1 Movie
San Francisco
Best Picture
The Great Ziegfeld
Alan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1936Born
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1941Started school
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1949Became a teenager
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Could drive
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1954Could vote
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Turned 21
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1966Turned 30
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 40
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 50
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 60
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 70
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2015Died at 79
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Made over 600 appearances for Sheffield United as their first-choice goalkeeper.
- Pioneered the specialized role of the goalkeeping coach in English football in the 1970s.
- Tutored a generation of elite goalkeepers including Jim Leighton, Chris Woods, and a young David de Gea.
- Awarded an MBE in 2008 for services to football and coaching.
Did You Know?
He was the first full-time goalkeeping coach for the Scotland national team.
His coaching career began informally while he was still a player at Sheffield United.
He worked with Manchester United's goalkeepers during their dominant period under Sir Alex Ferguson.
“A goalkeeper's technique is a science, and it must be trained like one every single day.”
