| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1952-08-07)7 August 1952 | ||
| Place of birth | Doncaster, England | ||
| Date of death | 15 February 2023(2023-02-15) (aged 70) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Doncaster Rovers | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1972–1983 | Mansfield Town | 450 | (63) |
| 1983–1984 | Huddersfield Town | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 451 | (63) | |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Kevin Bird (7 August 1952 – 15 February 2023) was an English professionalfootballer who played as adefender forMansfield Town andHuddersfield Town.
Born inDoncaster, Bird began his career as an apprentice at his hometown clubDoncaster Rovers, but was released in 1972, without making a senior appearance for the team. He then moved to Mansfield Town, on the recommendation of Mansfield assistant managerFrank Marshall who had previously been on Doncaster's coaching staff. Bird initially joined Mansfield on a trial basis, and played well enough to earn himself a contract, and became a mainstay in the Stags' central defence for the next eleven seasons. He made his Mansfield debut in aDivision Four match againstChester City on 21 October 1972.[1]
In his eleven seasons atField Mill, Bird played 450 first-team games, placing him fourth on Mansfield's all-time appearance list, and scored 63 goals. He was a member of the Mansfield teams that won the Division Four title in1974–75, and theDivision Three titletwo years later.
His final match in the Mansfield shirt came in the 3–2 defeat againstPeterborough United on 7 May 1983. Bird scored one of Mansfield's goals in that game. Two days later, he got histestimonial againstAston Villa at Field Mill in front of a 2,903 crowd.[2]
In the summer of 1983, Bird signed forHuddersfield Town but only played once for Huddersfield. He retired from professional football at the end of the season, and moved back to the Mansfield area, where he played for several local non-league teams before hanging up his boots for good. He lived inMansfield Woodhouse after retirement. He suffered from dementia which was believed to be associated with heading of footballs over the years.[3]
In May 2009 it was announced that the executive suite at the Mansfield Town ground would be renamed 'The Kevin Bird Suite' from 27 May 2009.[4][5] Bird died at a Mansfield nursing home on 15 February 2023, at the age of 70.[6]