Gordon Cowans
A midfield maestro with a wand of a left foot who became the beating heart of Aston Villa's greatest era.
Born 1958 (age 68)·English footballer and coach·Birthday: October 27·Baby Boomers
Biography
Gordon Cowans, affectionately known as 'Sid,' was the creative engine room of the Aston Villa team that ruled English and European football in the early 1980s. Slight of frame but immense in vision and passing range, his left foot could dictate the tempo of a game, picking passes that others couldn't see. A product of Villa's youth system, he was instrumental in their unlikely 1981 First Division title win and their crowning glory, the 1982 European Cup victory. A serious leg break in 1983 threatened his career, but his determination saw him return to top-flight football, enjoying spells in Italy and elsewhere before returning to Villa Park twice more as a player. His deep connection with the club continued into coaching, where he served as a trusted first-team coach, his legacy forever entwined with the claret and blue.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Gordon was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Gordon Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Gordon's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the European Cup (now Champions League) with Aston Villa in 1982.
- Won the English First Division title with Aston Villa in 1981.
- Earned 10 caps for the England national football team.
- Played over 500 matches for Aston Villa across three separate spells with the club.
Did You Know?
He was nicknamed 'Sid' after the British comic strip character 'Sid the Sexist.'
He played for Italian side Bari alongside fellow Englishman Paul Rideout.
He broke his leg twice in the same place during his career.
After retiring, he ran a pub near Aston Villa's stadium for a time.
“My left foot was my paintbrush, and the pitch was my canvas.”
