When Kevin Keegan Fell Off His Bike

Simon Sheldon Recalls When Television Show Superstars Was a Smash Hit and a Liverpool and England Star Came a Cropper

KEVIN Keegan was my first sporting hero, whether scoring goals for club or country.His achievements are legendary as a player and manager, twice winning the European Footballer of the Year award.

There was also that perm, those Brut adverts and even his attempts at chart success (with ‘Head Over Heels in Love’ peaking at number 31 in the UK charts in 1979).

But, for me, his appearance on Superstars was the highlight of his illustrious career.

It says much about footballers’ pay at that time that although Keegan was well paid, even he could not afford to turn down an offer of $500 to take part.

The power of terrestrial television back in those days meant that the image of Keegan toppling off a bicycle on a track in Bracknell in the summer of 1976 is for me and for so many others such a powerful memory.

First aired on British TV in December 1973, Superstars was a show that brought together some of the best sportsmen and women of their era to compete against each other in a series of sporting disciplines from shooting to canoeing, and the infamous gym tests to cycling.

The show was presented by the late, great David Vine and Ron Pickering. It ran for years and was a huge ratings hit for the BBC.

Footballers had not had much success up to that point, so Keegan was keen to prove that football players could be as fit, if not fitter, as other sporting stars.

Bobby Moore had competed in the first ever competition in 1973, but he struggled and only finished in sixth place.

Colin Bell and Mike Channon took part the following year. Although both did quite well in winning a couple of the events, Bell finished third and Channon last.