Dean Windass
Prodigal son who took Tigers to the Prem
| Full name: | Dean Windass |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | April 1, 1969 |
| Clubs played for: | Hull, Aberdeen, Oxford, Bradford, Middlesbrough, Sheffield United, Oldham |
Club Career
Born and bred in Hull, Dean Windass was orginally released by the club as a teenager. He quickly proved himself at a lower level and was re-signed by Hull in 1991. A hard-working striker with an eye for goal, Windass would go on to play 176 league games over the next four years.
With City struggling to balance the books, he departed in 1995 to join Aberdeen for £700,000 but returned to England to join Oxford in 1998. He made his way to Bradford a year later and helped them to promotion to the top division for the first time in 77 years before Middlesbrough came calling in 2001.
After failing to produce his best form at the Riverside, Windass was loaned out to Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United before joining United permanently in January 2003. His time with the Blades was short-lived as he returned to Bradford at the end of the campaign.
He rejoined Hull on loan in January 2007 and made the move permanent in July. He ensured his name will forever be etched in Hull folklore by scoring the winning goal in the 2008 Championship play-off final - promoting City to the Premier League for the first time in their 104-year history – before moving on to Oldham and then to Darlington as player-coach.
Club Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-95 | Hull | 176 | 57 |
| 1995-98 | Aberdeen | 78 | 23 |
| 1998-99 | Oxford | 33 | 15 |
| 1999-01 | Bradford | 74 | 16 |
| 2001-03 | Middlesbrough | 37 | 3 |
| 2003 | Sheffield United | 16 | 3 |
| 2003-07 | Bradford | 142 | 60 |
| 2007-09 | Hull | 45 | 20 |
| 2008 | Oldham | 9 | 1 |
Key Games
Bradford 1-0 Liverpool (Premier League, May 14, 2000)
Windass helped Bradford to pull off the great escape with a last-day victory over Liverpool, which kept the Bantams in the Premier League at the expense of Wimbledon. A 12th minute goal from David Wetherall clinched the win for Bradford - and denied Liverpool a Champions League spot.
Cardiff 0-1 Hull (Championship, April 28, 2007)
Windass was brought back to Hull on loan in a desperate bid to help the Tigers escape relegation to League One. He didn't disappoint, scoring the only goal in their crucial penultimate match of the season against Cardiff. The victory left Hull three points ahead of Leeds with a vastly superior goal difference, meaning Windass' goal had virtually guaranteed the Tigers’ survival.
Hull 1-0 Bristol City (Championship play-off final, May 24, 2008)
In what was his first Wembley appearance, Windass scored the goal that put Hull into the top-flight of English football for the first time. The 39-year-old striker hit a superb volley from the edge of the area after 38 minutes to clinch victory and a place in the Premier League.
Did You Know...?
Windass, whose wife is a police officer, was sent off three times in one game while playing for Aberdeen against Dundee. First he was shown a second yellow card, then he abused the referee, then he took out his fury on a corner flag. End result: a six-game ban. He also received a five-game ban for abusing a referee in a car park while with Bradford.
Windass began seeing a sports therapist while at Aberdeen to deal with his rages - which would see him pummelling the walls with his fists - and night-time bed-wetting.
Deano describes his post-match warmdown routine as "having a drink - and getting drunk if necessary”.
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