Johnny Berry

Infobox Football biography
playername = Johnny Berry


fullname = John James Berry
dateofbirth = birth date|1926|6|1|df=y
cityofbirth = Aldershot
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath = death date and age|1994|9|23|1926|6|1|df=y
cityofdeath = Farnham
countryofdeath = England
height =
position = Outside right
currentclub =
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1946-1951
1951-1958
clubs = Birmingham City
Manchester United
caps(goals) = 104 0(6)
247 (37)
nationalyears = 1953-1956
nationalteam = England
nationalcaps(goals) = 004 0(0)

John James "Johnny" Berry (1 June 1926 – 23 September 1994) was an English football player. Berry joined Manchester United from Birmingham City in 1951. He went on to help United win three league championships before injuries sustained in the Munich Air Disaster brought his footballing career to an end.

Berry, 31 at the time, spent two months in hospital with multiple injuries: fractured skull, broken jaw, broken elbow, broken pelvis, broken leg. All his teeth had to be removed while treating his jaw injuries. [http://www.rednews.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=31603] He never played football again

When he woke up he was totally unaware of the plane crash, his injuries having caused a light form of amnesia. One month after he regained consciousness he found out about the crash from seeing a newspaper. [http://www.rednews.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=31603]

Berry was a natural right winger, with technique and pace as his strengths. He played 277 matches for Manchester United, bagging 44 goals along the way. He played regularly for the first six seasons, before losing his place in the start-line for youngster Ken Morgans. He later ran a sports business with his brother Peter,in Farnborough.

Johnny Berry died in September 1994, aged 68, after a short illness. He was the first surviving player of the Munich Air Disaster to have died.

His son Neil is currently head teacher of Brampton Manor School, and he published a book in 2007 describing his father's years at Manchester United.

ee also

*Centre-half Jackie Blanchflower also never played football again because of injuries from that crash.