Died after an accident
Keith SandersonHull-born Queens Park Rangers star Keith Sanderson tragically dies on Christmas Eve after crash
Keith won the 1967 Football League Cup for Queens Park Rangers
ByEmily Johnson
10:47, 31 DEC 2022
Keith Sanderson passed away on Christmas Eve, aged 82
A Hull-born footballer, who won the Football League Cup in 1967, has sadly died following a crash on Christmas Eve.
The family of 82-year-old Keith Sanderson announced his tragic passing in the days following his death, confirming that Keith sustained serious injuries in a crash in Cumbria days before Christmas and died on Christmas Eve. Keith was born in Keyingham and grew up in Hessle - he also attended Beverley Grammar School.
Keith was an academic and sporty lad from a working class background, and was encouraged by his headmaster to join Cambridge University, where he was accepted in 1961. His family say Keith initially felt "out of place" at Cambridge but quickly "found his feet" when he joined the university football team.
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The team was coached by the flamboyant football legend Malcolm Allison, who later moved on to Man City. Keith was rated highly by Allison as a strong-running midfield ‘ball winner’, signing him for non-league Bath City in 1963 and later for 3rd Division Plymouth Argyle the following year, alongside the likes of Tony Book.
Keith came across many successes in his footballing career, including playing and beating Oxford University at Wembley on two occasions as a Cambridge Blue. However the highlight has to be being signed to Queens Park Rangers, where he won the 3rd Division Championship and beat first Division West Bromwich Albion 3-2 at Wembley in front of 98,000 spectators, overcoming a half-time 2-0 deficit in 1967.
Keith's nephew, Paul McDonnell, said: "Sanderson was a rarity in the footballing world – attending an elite University and holding down a full-time job at IBM, training after hours and playing at the weekend. Once, when pressured by QPR’s chairman, Jim Gregory, to become a full time professional in return for a tidy sum, Sanderson rejected his offer, replying 'my father worked too hard for me to waste my education'."
Keith then went on to finish his football career at Goole Town and finally at Wimbledon. He worked for IBM throughout his life, retiring at the age of 55 and living with his late wife Monica in Lancashire.
He was inducted by ex-QPR player Andy Sinton into the ‘Forever-R’s club in 2020. Sinton told the club: "It was great to visit Keith and spend time with him.
"We spoke about his memories from his time with us and you could tell how much playing for QPR still means to him. He is very proud of his achievements with the R’s – and has every right to be.
"I am sure all QPR fans would agree with me that Keith is a very worth addition to the Forever R’s Club."
