William Oakley, Corinthians

William John Oakley

Corinthians & England
27 April 1873 – 18 September 1934

William John Oakley was one of the outstanding amateur sportsmen of the late Victorian age: an England international footballer, Corinthians stalwart, Oxford athlete, cricketer, rower and schoolmaster whose sporting achievements extended far beyond the football field.

Born at 34 Castle Street, Shrewsbury, on 27 April 1873, Oakley was the eldest of five children of William and Emilie Anne Oakley. Educated at Shrewsbury School, he represented the school at football from 1887 until 1892 and captained the side during his final year. He was already an accomplished all-round sportsman and also rowed while at Shrewsbury.

In 1892 Oakley entered Christ Church, Oxford, and his sporting reputation grew considerably. He represented Oxford University at football between 1893 and 1896, but athletics provided another arena in which he excelled. A fine long jumper and hurdler, he became President of the Oxford University Athletic Club in 1895 and competed for the University against Cambridge. He won the Amateur Athletic Association long jump championship and also represented England against the United States. Rowing, tennis, fives, golf and field events were among his other sporting pursuits.

It was as a footballer, however, that Oakley became nationally famous.

A full-back capable of playing on either side of the defence, he joined the Corinthians during the 1890s and eventually made 121 appearances for the club between 1894 and 1903, scoring once. At a time when the Corinthians regularly tested themselves against the strongest professional clubs in Britain, Oakley became one of the great defensive figures of the celebrated amateur side.

His qualities were summed up after his death by the Daily Mirror, which remembered him as “a wonderful tackler” who was extremely fast and possessed “a sure kick with either foot.” Those attributes made him particularly well suited to the demanding full-back position of the Victorian game. His peak years with Corinthians included the 1898–99 and 1899–1900 seasons, when he was an almost ever-present member of the side.

Oakley's performances inevitably brought international recognition. He made his England debut at the age of 21 on 18 March 1895, playing at left-back against Wales at the Recreation Ground, Queen's Club, West Kensington. The match finished 1–1.

It was the beginning of an international career lasting six years.

Between 1895 and 1901 Oakley made 16 appearances for England, playing five times against Scotland, six against Wales and five against Ireland. England won ten of those matches, drew three and lost three, scoring 48 goals while conceding only 16. Remarkably, an England side containing Oakley was never prevented from scoring.

His record against Ireland was perfect: five appearances and five victories, with England scoring sixteen goals and conceding only two. Against Wales he was also unbeaten in six matches.

Oakley was part of England sides which won the British Championship in 1894–95, 1897–98 and 1900–01.

His international career reached another distinction on 9 March 1901 when he was entrusted with the England captaincy against Ireland. England won 3–0, meaning that Oakley's solitary appearance as captain ended with both victory and a clean sheet.

His sixteenth and final England appearance came three weeks later, on 30 March 1901, when England drew 2–2 with Scotland at the Crystal Palace. He was 27 years old.

Football was only one part of an extraordinary sporting life. Oakley played cricket for Shrewsbury and appeared once for Shropshire in 1900, scoring 20 runs. He rowed in Oxford trial eights and for Christ Church, competed in lawn tennis, played fives and golf, and participated in weight-putting and hammer-throwing. Few football internationals of his generation could claim such a breadth of sporting accomplishment.

Away from competitive sport, Oakley's life became closely associated with another of the greatest Corinthians of the period, the famous England centre-forward Gilbert Oswald Smith. The two men were close friends and worked together at Ludgrove Preparatory School. Oakley was recorded there as an assistant schoolmaster in the 1901 census and subsequently became joint headmaster with Smith in 1902.

Their partnership extended back into football. Oakley and Smith shared the secretaryship of Corinthians between 1898 and 1902 and together wrote Association Football, bringing the experience of two of the finest amateur players of their generation to the written study of the game.

Oakley remained at Ludgrove for many years. The 1911 and 1921 censuses both record him there as a schoolmaster alongside Smith.

His life ended suddenly in September 1934. Returning from a holiday in Scotland, Oakley was driving near Carlisle when his car was involved in an accident after passing a motor lorry. The vehicle collided with a motor bus and Oakley suffered severe head injuries. He was taken to Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, where he died on 18 September 1934, aged 61.

His funeral took place at St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury, on 21 September.

Contemporary newspapers remembered considerably more than an international footballer. One obituary described his death as robbing amateur sport of “one of its greatest figures” — an appropriate assessment of a man whose abilities encompassed football, athletics, cricket, rowing, tennis and numerous other sports.

Oakley belonged to a distinctive generation in British sport, when the leading amateur footballers could combine international competition with university life, athletics and professional careers outside the game. Yet even among those remarkable Corinthians, his achievements stand out.

With 121 Corinthians appearances, 16 England caps, an England captaincy and a British long-jump championship, William John Oakley was far more than simply an accomplished Victorian full-back.

He was one of the great all-round sportsmen of his age.

Product details: