Mike Summerbee is an English former football player, who played in the successful Manchester City side of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Education
Raised in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, he attended Naunton Park Secondary Modern School where he was influenced by sports teacher, Arnold Wills, with whom he was publicly reunited 50 years later when Summerbee was Guest of Honour at the 150th anniversary celebrations of Cheltenham Young Men’s Christian Association, to which both had belonged in their youth.
Career
Summerbee made his league debut playing for Swindon Town in 1959 at the age of 16. He made more than 200 appearances for the Wiltshire club, scoring 38 goals. In 1965 Manchester City manager Joe Mercer signed Summerbee for a fee of £35,000.
In his first Manchester City season Summerbee started every single match, the only Manchester City player to do so that season.
Something of a practical joker, Summerbee (or "Buzzer" as teammates nicknamed him) was also known for a fiery temperament, a trait described by teammate Francis Lee as "retaliating first". Summerbee left Manchester City in June 1975, moving to Burnley, for a £25,000 fee, after making more than 400 appearances for City.
Summerbee signed for Blackpool on Christmas Eve 1976. The transfer had been the Blackpool chairman"s idea, not that of manager Allan Brown.
Summerbee later admitted that he should not have joined the club
He made just three League appearances for the Seasiders. Over a five-year period, which encompassed the 1970 World Cup Summerbee played for England eight times, making his debut against Scotland on 24 February 1968. Summerbee ended his footballing career at Stockport County, where he was player-manager in the 1978-1979 season.
Office the pitch, Summerbee has been involved with a number a business ventures with varying degrees of success, including a period where he co-owned a menswear business with George Best.
Summerbee is now the Club Ambassador for Manchester City. Summerbee also starred in the cult film Escape to Victory alongside Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine and Pelé.
He also featured in a British Broadcasting Corporation westcountry documentary "Six days to Saturday" about Swindon Town in 1963 and a "Nationwide" series "Saturday Heroes" about Manchester City. Summerbee"s son, Nicky, was also a professional football player, who followed in his father"s footsteps by playing for both Swindon Town and Manchester City before joining Sunderland.
Colin Shindler described the contrasting fortunes of the three generations in Fathers, Sons and Football.
As a player.