Colin Todd is a former central defender who was prominent during the 70's era of football. He made more than 600 appearances during his time in England, playing for the likes of Sunderland, Derby County, Everton, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Oxford United and Luton Town. His career took him to the US as well, with Todd playing in the North American Soccer League for the Vancouver Whitecaps.
We will be looking back at his career in this article, as we pay tribute to one of the finest English defenders of the 1970's.
The Sunderland years
A young Todd was already attracting interest from various clubs due to his talents, with the likes of Newcastle and Middlesbrough interested in signing him. However, the Englishman decided to join Sunderland due to their tradition of giving preference to youth players. Thus, he became a member of Brian Clough's Sunderland youth side in 1965. 2 years later, the Englishman played a pivotal role as well in Sunderland's 1967 FA Youth Cup run. By this time, Todd had already established himself as a first-team regular for the club.
He made his debut as substitute for Charlie Hurley in a 1–1 draw away against Chelsea. This was a First Division match that took place on 10th September 1966, and midway through the season he broke through into the starting eleven. Todd established himself as quite a reliable and hardworking player for Sunderland, as he only went on to miss three league games in the next three seasons. However, by this time, Sunderland were relegated from the top flight. Unfortunately, that was also the end of his time with Sunderland, bringing an end to a memorable 5 year chapter.
A golden era with Derby
The year of 1971 saw Todd reunite with his manager Clough, this time at Derby County. It was a record breaking deal, with Todd costing the club a then British record £175,000 transfer fee, which was the highest ever paid for an English defender at the time.
A funny incident was that when Todd was linked with the club, manager Brian Clough famously remarked “We’re not signing Colin Todd, we can’t afford him”, only to surprisingly sign him later that day.
At Derby, Todd formed a defensive partnership with fellow England international Roy McFarland, as the duo became an instrumental part of a legendary Derby side. In the years that followed, Derby went on to win 2 league titles, with Todd and McFarland being key players behind the success.
While Todd’s first league triumph came under Clough, the second came under his successor Dave Mackay in 1975. The English defender was especially outstanding in the second league winning campaign, as he also won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award for his individual heroics.
Todd eventually left Derby in 1978, after 7 magical years during which he made over 293 appearances for the club.
Later career
The next few chapters in Todd's career saw him play for the likes of Everton, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, and Oxford United. In 1984, he had a brief spell with Luton Town, following which he announced his retirement from football.
Todd had also earned 27 caps for the international side as well, with his debut match and final game both coincidentally being against Northern Ireland.
After his playing career, he became a manager. He managed several English clubs, including Derby County. His biggest success in management came with Bolton Wanderers, whom he guided back to the top-flight by winning the First Division in the 1996–97 season.
Todd will always be remembered for his heroics, both as a player and manager.
