Former Wolves Man Passes Away

Ron Stockin, for the last few years the oldest surviving former Wolves player, has died.

The 93-year-old, who lived in a West Bromwich care home has passed away three summers on from when we organised the fight to have him honoured for his part in the winning of the 1953-54 League Championship.

Stockin played six games of that historic season, including the first three in place of Peter Broadbent, and totalled 21 appearances for the club in all.

He didn’t receive a title winner’s medal at the time as his contribution was well short of what then stood as the qualification number of matches.

But a relaxing of the rules by the game’s authorities several years ago brought him into the large band of players around the country who were now due one. And that’s where Wolves Heroes came in.

We tracked Ron down through his Northamptonshire-based daughter, Janice, and were delighted when Wolves agreed not only to have the medal struck for him but to deliver it to his care home in 2021.

BBC Midlands were then present with a camera crew for the hand-over which we wrote about in this link The Final Glory – Wolves Heroes

Our delight in illuminating Ron’s twilight years was mirrored by that of his family, and Janice said: “I know how happy and proud the medal made him.” The funeral will take place at Sandwell Crematorium on Friday, August 9 (10.45).

The Birmingham-born inside-forward also played for Walsall, Cardiff and Grimsby, having failed to break into first-team football while on Albion’s books as a youngster.

Tyneside-based statistician Ian Ross has reached out in search of numerous past title winners to have medals presented to them or their families. He was delighted one had been presented to Stockin, who he considered to be one of the least likely to be tracked down.

A check on surviving Wolves players from the 1950s tells us that Colin Booth is now 89 and Bobby Mason 88. But Peter McParland, the Villa legend who moved to Molineux in the early 1960s, turned 90 in April.