3/1 To Win
Derby County are pleased to announce the launch of its first-ever Legacy Numbers, a chronological list of all players to have ever represented the club’s Men’s team in a competitive game.
Throughout the Rams’ 140-year history, almost 1,200 players have made senior appearances.
Players have been allocated a number based on their debut in any competitive fixture, including all cup competitions.
Starting with the club’s first-recorded team from 1884, when George Bakewell became Derby County’s first official player on a team sheet, through to Nat Phillips, the latest debutant at number 1,188, all of Derby’s best-known players appear throughout the timeline.
All-time leading goalscorer Steve Bloomer appears at number 82, while the FA Cup winning team of 1946 featuring in the 300 and 400s with the familiar names of Jack Nicholas (375), Jack Stamps (432), and Reg Harrison (440) all joining the historical list.
The victorious title-winning teams of the 1970s follow in the 500s, with club ambassadors Roy McFarland (574) and Roger Davies (595) joining their team-mates, including record appearance holder Kevin Hector (570), before the list moves up to the double-promotion campaigns under Arthur Cox in the 1980s.
The Rams of the 1990s begin to feature in the 700s, with popular names including Igor Stimac (776), Stefano Eranio (791) and Horacio Carbonari (798) all entering the history books before reaching the 1,000th player in 2011, where Academy graduate Jeff Hendrick became the 1001st player to make his debut.
Almost 200 players later, reaching the present day, where the 2024/25 season’s new signings join over 1,000 players before them in donning the black and white of Derby County.
Supporters can view the full list of legacy numbers here.
Please Note: The games during the abandoned 1939/40 season are excluded,
as are war time matches and friendlies. Where more than one player makes their
debut on the same day, then the numbers are allocated in alphabetical order or
order of substitutions.
The list has been compiled by Club Historian Andy Ellis and the club would like to put on record its thanks for his continued support.
As part of Derby County’s plans to honour and recognise its 140-year history, the Legacy Numbers will be installed in Harrison’s Hub at Pride Park Stadium as part of further heritage plans, which will be communicated to fans in due course.
