'Dixie' Dean was a goalscoring phenomenon. As a schoolboy he scored 18 goals in one day, playing in three matches and scoring six goals in each. At 5'10" he was not tall but he was very quick and powerful and a strong header of the ball. Dean made his debut for Tranmere at Rotherham 10 days short of his seventeenth birthday. He was transferred to Everton after scoring 27 goals in 29 games. His goalscoring talents also proved hazardous to his health. After scoring in a match as a 17 year old he was told by a defender that if he dared score again he would personally make sure it would be the last goal he ever scored. Sure enough the young Dean scored again and shortly afterwards the defender kicked him so hard in the groin that Dean had to have a testicle removed.

It is the 1927-28 season that Dean is mostly remembered for, scoring 60 goals in 39 League games beating the 59 goals scored by George Camsell the previous season. Dean broke the record in some style needing to score 9 goals in his last three games, he scored twice against Aston Villa, four times against Burnley and then finished the season with a hat-trick against Arsenal. Everton won the Championship that season scoring 102 goals with Dean having scored 60. Of the 60 goals scored by Dean 40 were scored with his head. He made his International debut that season scoring twice for England in a 3-3 draw with Wales. In total Dean scored 82 goals in the 1927-28 season.

His England career also got off to a flying start, Dean hitting the back of the net 12 times in his first 5 matches. When Everton won the 2nd Division title in 1931 Dean only scored 39 League goals but he did create another goalscoring record, scoring 23 goals in 12 successive games. The following year Everton won the First Division Championship with Dean scoring 44 League goals. His England career went into decline at about this time mainly due to his outspoken comments. In 1933 Everton completed a remarkable treble by winning the FA Cup, defeating Manchester City 3-0. Dean scoring in every round except the semi-final.

His career total of 473 goals in 502 first class games includes 37 hat-tricks for Everton and his goal per game ratio stands at 0.94. Dean is often described as the best goalscorer the League has ever seen. Dean died at Goodison Park on 1 March 1980 moments after the final whistle of a Merseyside derby.

William Ralph Dean
Born Merseyside 22 January 1907
Died Merseyside 1 March 1980
Career Details:
Tranmere 23-25
29 League Appearances 27 Goals
Everton 25-37
399 League Appearances
349 Goals
Notts County 38-39
9 League Appearances
3 Goals
Club Honours:
Football League Championship 1928 1932
2nd Division Championship 1931
FA Cup 1933
International
Honours:
England 16 Caps 18 Goals

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