Spike Rawlings (birth name John Anderson Rawlinson; 7 April 1944 – 14 March 2006) was an English professional footballer who later became a TV entertainer after retiring as a sportsman.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Anderson Rawlinson | ||
| Date of birth | 7 April 1944 | ||
| Place of birth | Wallsend, England | ||
| Date of death | 14 March 2006 (aged 61) | ||
| Place of death | Newcastle upon Tyne, England | ||
| Position(s) | Centre half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1964–1965 | Bury | 2 | (0) |
| 1965–1966 | Barrow | 19 | (2) |
| 1966–1968 | Runcorn | ||
| 1968–1969 | Barrow | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 21 | (2) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editFootball career
editAfter playing for amateur side Corinthian Juniors, Rawlinson - who played as a centre half - made his professional debut for Bury during the 1964–65 season, making a total of two League appearances that season.[1] After the football season finished, Rawlinson moved to Barrow. During the 1965–66 season, Rawlinson scored two goals in nineteen League games for Barrow.[1] Rawlinson later played non-league football for Runcorn, and eventually returned to Barrow (although he never appeared in a first team League game for the club again), where he got his first taste of showbiz in 1969 - after the half-time entertainment failed to show up, Rawlinson stepped in and performed instead.[2]
Entertainment career
editAfter finishing his career as a professional footballer, Rawlinson adopted the stage name of Spike Rawlings. His early career was spent warming audiences up on local TV show Those Wonderful TV Times.[2] Rawlings achieved fame by winning the 1976 edition of TV talent show Opportunity Knocks, which allowed him to have his own TV show.[2] Rawlings later had a small part on When the Boat Comes In, and he regularly acted in pantomimes.[2][3]
Later life
editDuring the late 1980s and 1990s, Rawlings suffered from financial issues.[2] He died in March 2006 in hospital, awaiting a liver transplant.[2] A charity night, organised by his children Matthew and Catherine, was held in October 2006 in Rawlings' memory.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b "Player profile". Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Transfer Database. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f Paul McMillan (16 March 2006). "Farewell Spike". The Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
- ^ "Remember when: Barbara Windsor teams up with Spike Rawlings for panto". 7 August 2013.
- ^ Craig Hope (2 August 2006). "Charity night will celebrate Spike". The Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 9 October 2009.