In his teenage years he appeared for the local football teams, Heaton & Byker Youth Club and Wallsend St. Lukes.
At the time he joined the club, Newcastle were only able to play friendly matches as World War II was taking place and all the football leagues in England were suspended.
Crowe retired from the game in 1957 at the age of 33, having made 178 appearances in the league for Newcastle and scoring five goals from defence.
Paul Joannou wrote in his book about the history of Newcastle United, The Black 'n' White Alphabet, "A player who rarely took the headlines, Crowe got on with the rough and tumble in the middle of the field as a spoiler of the opposition's tactics and winner of the ball, while he was also used to good effect as a marker."
[8] His daughter Lesley Edmondson started a campaign that aimed to raise £1.5 million to buy a medical scanner for Newcastle University's Campus for Aging and Vitality[9] that can detect early signs of the disease.
[8] The campaign was backed by former Newcastle players and managers such as Alan Shearer, Sir Bobby Robson and actor Kevin Whately.
[7] A television programme was broadcast on the BBC show Inside Out for North East England and Cumbria in March 2009.