Dennis Stevens Passes Away

1963 Championship winner Dennis Stevens has sadly passed away.

Everton Football Club was saddened to learn of the passing of 1963 championship winning former player Dennis Stevens.

Stevens passed away on Thursday after a long illness, aged 79.

He was born in Dudley in the West Midlands in November 1933 but came through the ranks at Bolton Wanderers and helped them to win the 1958 FA Cup, scoring three times in the earlier rounds before a brace from the great Nat Lofthouse secured a Wembley triumph over Manchester United.
 
He remained at Bolton until March 1962 when Everton signed the inside right for £35,000.
 
After making his debut shortly after signing, Stevens played every single Everton game until August 1964, meaning he'd been ever-present for over two seasons.
 
During that time he helped the Blues win the league in 1962/63, weighing in with seven goals as Everton romped to the league title with a team featuring bona fide legends Brian Labone, Roy Vernon, Gordon West and, of course, the 'golden vision' Alex Young - who was also ever-present that season.
 
Stevens' feat of playing in all of the 100 games the Club played straight after his arrival has only been achieved by three other Everton players - Jack Taylor, George Wood and Joleon Lescott.
 
By 1965 Stevens was playing a lot less football for the Blues and in November of that year, just before his 32nd birthday, he moved to Third Divison Oldham Athletic for a fee of £20,000.
 
He finished his career back on Merseyside at Tranmere Rovers, playing for just a season before retiring.
 
Stevens was the cousin of Duncan Edwards, the Manchester United player who died in the Munich disaster. Their family links clearly didn't continue onto the football pitch however - in one meeting between Bolton and United Edwards challenging Stevens with such ferocity he required a stretcher and 10 minutes of treatment before he could return to the pitch.

After his football career, Stevens returned to Bolton and became a gents outfitter.

Former teammate Derek Temple has paid tribute to Stevens, saying: “Dennis was a fighter all his life. There were no lost causes for Dennis - he was a good player and a gentleman on and off the pitch.”

Everyone at Everton sends their condolences to Dennis' wife Eileen, sons Gary and Julian, and the rest of his family and friends at this sad time.