Tony Parkes, a Blackburn Rovers Player and Coach, Dies at 76
Introduction
Tony Parkes was a player, a coach, and a manager for Blackburn Rovers. He died on Wednesday. He was 76 years old. The club said he died. The club will have a special event to remember him.
Main Body
Parkes joined Blackburn Rovers in 1970 from Buxton Town. He paid £5,000 for the transfer. He played 409 games for the club. He scored 46 goals. He helped the team win the Third Division title in 1975. After he stopped playing in 1982, he became a coach. He worked as a first-team coach under Bobby Saxton. Later, he was the caretaker manager six times. In the 1996-97 season, he saved the team from relegation. He was part of the staff when Blackburn won the Premier League in 1994-95. He left Blackburn in 2004. Then he worked as a scout for Leicester City. He also worked as an assistant manager for Blackpool. He was a caretaker manager there in 2008-09. In 2020, doctors said he had Alzheimer''s disease. His daughter Natalie talked about his memory loss. After his death, his old teammates Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton said nice things about him. Blackpool FC also said nice things. Blackburn Rovers said they were very sad. They called him a ''true club legend''.
Conclusion
Blackburn Rovers will have a special event for Parkes. It will be at their last home game of the season. They play against Leicester City on May 2.