BIO
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Age at Death:
Position:
October 28, 1865
Jamestown, Ghana
65 years
Goalkeeper / Fullback
Year
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1885-'86
1886-'88
1889-'94
1894-'95
1895-'96
1896-'97
1897-'99
1899-'01
1901-'02
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17 years
​
​
​
​
Club/Team
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Darlington
Preston North End
Rotherham Town
Sheffield United
Rotherham Town
Stalybridge Rovers
Ashton North End
Stalybridge Rovers
Stockport County
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Total Club Games
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International Career
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Scotland
Appearances
​
unknown
unknown
19
1
15
unknown
unknown
unknown
6
​
unknown
​
​
​
unknown
Click on the Title-Name to go Back
Synopsis
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Wharton’s inclusion on this list has more to do with his historical importance in being regarded as football’s first black professional athlete (though even that is in some dispute) then his actual career accomplishments on the pitch. Unquestionably a superior athlete, his footballing career was for the most part unremarkable when compared to the other players on this list. Wharton played for a total of 9 different clubs over a span of 17 years and about half of that time was spent tending net in the Second Division.
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Wharton’s path to footballing legend was atypical. He was born in Ghana as the son of a royal family and then moved to England at the age of 19 to train as a missionary. In spite of his initial intentions, Wharton soon realized that his true calling was in the world of sports.
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In addition to football, Wharton was an accomplished cyclist, cricketer and runner and in 1886, he set a world record in the amateur 100 meter sprint.
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On the pitch, Wharton had his first run-out as a goalkeeper with Darlington and was soon signed away by Preston North End where he had success for two years until his running career pulled him away (1888). Unfortunately for Wharton, he missed out on Preston’s double winning year and being in the squad of who would ultimately go down in history as professional football’s first “Invincibles.”
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In 1894, Sheffield United had the privilege of owning the two of the best goalies in the world yet unfortunately for Wharton, he was relegated to the bench and played the role of understudy to the aforementioned Fatty Foulke. As a result, Wharton saw very little time on the pitch (1 game) while at Sheffield United.
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It appears that Wharton bounced around in Division Two for the next several years until ultimately retiring in 1902 with a total of twelve FA cup appearances to his credit and possibly one appearance for Scotland.
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After football, Wharton owned a tobacconist business that ultimately failed and eventually came to work as a laborer/ digger in the pit mines. The demise of Wharton also included a lifelong bout with alcoholism and eventually his life came to an end with a burial in an unmarked pauper’s grave.
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Notable Accomplishments & Honors
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In 1997, through the efforts of a public interest group, Wharton’s final resting place was given a headstone and in 2003, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.
CARDBOARD NOTES
Most of Wharton’s playing career pre-dates the golden-age of cardboard and many of his later years were spent with Second Division teams that did not feature prominently on any known issues. One exception being an issue by Baines believed to have been from his first tenure at Darlington and would date it to a window of 1885-’86. By any collector’s definition, this Baine’s “Fan” card would be considered a Grail card. I have only seen this card come up for sale on one occasion with a recent (2020) list price of $68,000 but I am unaware of any reported verified sales.
” In addition to the early Ogden’s cards, Wharton’s large portrait features prominently in the highly sought after Famous Footballers book by Alcock & Sons from 1895-96.
1885-’86 Baines Shield “Fan Card”
