Role Footballer Name Len Duquemin | Years Team Playing position | |
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Full name Leonard Stanley Duquemin Date of birth (1924-07-17)17 July 1924 Date of death 20 April 2003(2003-04-20) (aged 78) Died April 20, 2003, Buckhurst Hill, United Kingdom | ||
Leonard Stanley "Len" Duquemin (17 July 1924 – 20 April 2003) was a professional footballer best known as a player for Tottenham Hotspur. Nicknamed The Duke, he made his debut for Spurs on March 1946, and was a key member of Arthur Rowe's successful "push and run" side that won the league title in 1951.
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Career
Born in Cobo, Guernsey Duquemin was the first famous footballer to come from the Channel Islands. During the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II, it is said that Duquemin hid in a Catholic monastery. He made a single appearance for Colchester United in 1946.
Between 1946 and 1957 he made 307 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur and scored 134 goals. He won the League Championship in 1951 having won the Second Division title the year before. Known as 'Reliable Len' for his hard work rather than for being a stylish player. His value was seen in his ability to create space for some of his more renowned teammates, and he became a key member of Arthur Rowe's famous 'push and run' side which transformed the style of football played in the Post War period. He played alongside Alf Ramsey and Bill Nicholson
Duquemin made his last league appearance for Tottenham in the 1956-57 season. He played just one match, though it brought him the last of his goals for the club. He subsequently spent four seasons in non-league football, first with Bedford Town F.C., with whom he won a Southern League Championship medal in the 1958-59 season, then with Hastings United and Romford. He left the game in 1962.
After his retirement he ran a newsagents shop close to White Hart Lane in Northumberland Park and later became the landlord at the Haunch of Venison public house in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire.