James Riordan (writer-sportsman)

James Riordan
Born(1936-10-10)10 October 1936
Portsmouth, England
Died11 February 2012(2012-02-11) (aged 75)
Portsmouth, England[1]
EducationUniversity of Birmingham
Occupations
  • Novelist
  • broadcaster
  • sports historian
  • Russian scholar
Height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)

James Riordan (10 October 1936 – 11 February 2012[1])[2][3] was an English novelist, broadcaster, sports historian, and Russian scholar.[4]

He was well known for his work Sport in Soviet Society, the first academic look at sport in the Soviet Union, and for his children's novels.

He claims to have been the first Briton to play football in the USSR, playing for FC Spartak Moscow in 1963.[5] There are, however, no documents, match reports or eyewitness accounts that support his claim, and many details in the story were inaccurate.[6]

  1. ^ a b Riley, John (3 April 2012). "Jim Riordan: Russianist and children's author". The Independent. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Popular columnist Jim Riordan dies". Portsmouth.co.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Patricia Stephens Due, James Whitaker, Josh Gifford, Jim Riordan, Whitney Houston, Last Word - BBC Radio 4". BBC. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Professor James Riordan". University of Worcester. 7 March 2007. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
  5. ^ Kevin O'Flynn (7 November 2006). "Introducing the first Briton ever to play in the USSR". Football. Guardian. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
  6. ^ Comrade Yakov Iordanov: Spartak Moscow’s Lone Englishman?