May 26, 1982: Aston Villa Win the European Cup

Left to right: Captain Dennis Mortimer,

Manager Tony Barton, and goalscorer Peter Withe,

who had swapped shirts with a Bayern player

May 26, 1982: Aston Villa, of Birmingham, England, win the European Cup, the tournament now known as the UEFA Champions League. It is the signature achievement of the biggest football club (soccer team) in England's Midlands.

They had qualified for the tournament by winning the title in England's Football League First Division the season before. On May 2, 1981, they lost to Arsenal, 2-0, at the Arsenal Stadium, nicknamed Highbury for its neighborhood in North London. Willie Young and Brian McDermott scored the goals.

But Ipswich Town, of Suffolk, lost to Middlesbrough, 2-1 at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough. This enables Villa to win the Football League title anyway. Despite the defeat, they are the only team besides Arsenal ever to become top-flight Champions while playing away to Arsenal.

Villa finished 4 points ahead of Ipswich, who had absolutely collapsed, losing 7 of their last 10 League games, although they did win the UEFA Cup, the tournament now known as the UEFA European League. Ipswich led Villa by 1 point, with a game in hand, on March 20. Villa finished 7 points ahead of Arsenal, whose 3rd-place finish is their best in 8 years. It remains Villa’s only League title since 1910.

The next season, 1981-82, would be the last season that a win was worth 2 points. FIFA decided that there were too many draws, so they increased the incentive for a win, making it 3 points.

Villa struggled in 1981-82, as they focused on the European Cup. Of their 1st 9 League games, they won only 1 and drew 6. Manager Ron Saunders feuded with team chairman Ron Bendall, and resigned on February 9. Of Saunders' last 8 League games, he won 2 and lost 6. He immediately took charge of Villa's intracity arch-rivals, Birmingham City, and remains one of the few people to be popular with both teams' fans.

His top assistant, Tony Barton, took the job, and while he could only get them to 11th in the League, and to the 5th Round of each of the domestic cups. But, under Saunders, they had already reached the Quarterfinal of the European Cup: They overwhelmed Valur, Champions of Iceland; and advanced past Dynamo Berlin, Champions of East Germany, on away goals.

Under Barton, they beat Dynamo Kyiv, Champions of the Soviet Union, in the Quarterfinal; and Anderlecht, Champions of Belgium, in the Semifinal. That set up the Final, on May 26, at Feyenoord Stadium (a.k.a. De Kuip, "The Bathtub"), in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Their opponents would be Bayern Munich, Champions of West Germany, and winners of the tournament in 1974, '75 and '76, with some of the players from those teams still there.

Centrebacks Ken McNaught and Allan Evans, and central midfielder Des Bremner, were Scottish. The rest of Villa's starting lineup were English: Goalkeeper Jimmy Rimmer, right back Kenny Swain, left back Gary Williams, midfielders Dennis Mortimer (the Captain) and Gordon Cowans; and forwards Gary Shaw, Peter Withe and Tony Morley.

The game started very badly for Villa: Rimmer's shoulder injury acted up, and he had to leave the game in the 9th minute. His replacement, Nigel Spink, was making only his 2nd first-team appearance for Villa. But his performance earned him status as a club legend, and he would be their starting goalie for the next 10 seasons.

The most famous goal in Villa history came in the 67th minute, the commentary of ITV's Brian Moore is displayed on a giant banner across the Doug Ellis Stand of Villa Park: "Shaw, Williams prepared to venture down the left. There's a good ball in for Tony Morley. Oh, it must be, and it is! It's Peter Withe!"

A 30-year-old native of Liverpool, Withe had won the 1975 North American Soccer League title with the Portland Timbers, gone back to England, and helped Nottingham Forest win the League title in 1978. But Forest sold him after that season, so he was not a part of their 1979 and '80 European Cup winners. Instead, he won the trophy known as "Ol' Big Ears" for Villa.

Each team scored near the end of normal time, but both goals were disallowed for offside. Aston Villa brought the European Cup back to Birmingham, England's 2nd-largest city but the one with the worst reputation for crime and failing industry. It was as if the Detroit Lions had won the Super Bowl. Come to think of it, Villa haven't won the FA Cup since 1957, and that was the last year the Lions won the NFL Championship.

Villa haven't had much success since, either. They finished 2nd in the League in 1990 and 1993, lost the FA Cup Final in 2000 and 2015, won the League Cup in 1994 and 1996 but lost the Final in 2010 and 2020, and won the now-defunct Intertoto Cup in 2001 and 2008. (UPDATE: In 2026, they won the UEFA Europa League.)

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May 26, 1982 was a Wednesday. Football was out of season. The NBA Finals began the next day, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Philadelphia 76ers in 6 games. The hockey season had ended 10 days earlier, when the New York Islanders won the Stanley Cup, defeating the Vancouver Canucks.

And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-0 at Yankee Stadium. The Dynasty of 1976-81 was well and truly over. Dave Stieb outpitched Rudy May, allowing only 4 hits, 2 of them to Oscar Gamble. Barry Bonnell went 2-for-3 with a walk and 4 RBIs.

* The New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves, 6-4 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Craig Swan was the winning pitcher, in relief of Pete Falcone. Wally Backman went 2-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBIs.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-0 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Mario Soto pitched a 4-hit shutout, striking out 10 and walking none. Johnny Bench went 0-for-3. Mike Schmidt went 0-for-4. Pete Rose went 2-for-4.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals, 7-2 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Greg Luzinski had 2 home runs and 6 RBIs. George Brett went 1-for-4 with a walk.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-2 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Rickey Henderson went 0-for-2, but drew 3 walks, and stole 2nd base each time. Robin Yount went 1-for-4. Paul Molitor went 0-for-4.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins, 2-1 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles, 5-3 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. Jon Matlack outpitched Dennis Martínez. Eddie Murray went 0-for-4. Rookie Cal Ripken Jr. went 0-for-4, but had an RBI on a groundout.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Houston Astros, 4-0 at the Astrodome in Houston. Over 9 innings, Charlie Lea allowed the Astros 1 hit, and Don Sutton had allowed the Expos 5. The Expos scored 4 runs in the top of the 10th inning, as Frank LaCorte walked the bases loaded, Tim Raines hit a sacrifice fly, and Tim Wallach hit a home run.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres, 5-3 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Gary Woods singled 2 runs home in the top of the 9th inning to win it.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Former Pirate Jerry Reuss was the winning pitcher. Dusty Baker went 2-for-2 with a home run, 2 walks and 3 RBIs. Willie Stargell, in his last season, appeared as a pinch-hitter, but did not reach base.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants, 8-4 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. 

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-2 at the Kingdome in Seattle.

* And the Boston Red Sox and the California Angels were not scheduled.