Frank Victor Swift (26 December 1913 – 6 February 1958) was an English footballer, who played as a goalkeeper for Manchester City and England.

Three years later Swift won a League Championship medal, after playing in every match of Manchester City's championship-winning season.

War denied Swift several years of playing in his prime, though during wartime he was chosen to represent his country in international matches.

He died, aged 44, in the Munich air disaster after reporting on Manchester United's European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade.

[4] The first to offer Swift a contract were Manchester City, who played in the First Division, the highest level of English football, for a transfer fee of £10.

Initially signed as an amateur in October 1932, eighteen-year-old Swift turned professional the following month,[2] receiving a wage of ten shillings (50p) per week.

[5] Langford's replacement for the following game was James Nicholls, but he endured a torrid time as Manchester City lost 8–0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

He conceded four goals in his debut at the Baseball Ground on 25 December, but in the return match the next day, his 20th birthday, he kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 win.

His only absence prior to the suspension of football due to World War II was a single match in September 1938, where without Swift, Manchester City lost 6–1 at home to Millwall.

[9] Despite inconsistency, Manchester City were one of the stronger sides of the 1930s, and in Swift's first season the club reached the FA Cup final for the second successive year.

During the cup run Swift played in front of 84,569 people for Stoke City's visit to Maine Road, a record attendance for an English club ground which still stands today.

Swift conceded five goals in consecutive matches on 19 and 25 December, but a Boxing Day win against Middlesbrough was the start of a long unbeaten run.

[15] The unbeaten run continued until the end of the season, and City secured their first league championship with a 4–1 win over Sheffield Wednesday.

Others included Matt Busby, Jimmy Hagan, Joe Mercer, Stan Cullis, Cliff Britton and Tommy Lawton.

This team was in effect a Great Britain XI and featured, among others, Busby, Matthews, Lawton, Mullen, Raich Carter and Stan Mortensen.

[21][22][23][24] In the first season after the Second World War, Manchester City won the Second Division championship to secure their return to the top flight.

He made what he intended to be his last Manchester City appearance against Huddersfield Town on 7 May,[26] which was followed by a parade in his honour organised by the Supporters' Club.

[29] Following a period serving as a director of a local catering company, Swift took up a career in journalism, most notably with the News of the World.

One of 23 victims of the disaster, Swift was one of two journalists pulled alive from the wreckage but died on his way to hospital, as his seat belt had cut into his aorta.

This run included the famous 1948 victory against Italy in Turin, where he became the first goalkeeper since Alexander Morten in 1873 to captain the side,[34] leading him to describe the match as the greatest day of his career.

After announcing his retirement from football, he made a farewell appearance against Norway in May 1949 to take his number of caps to 19, after which the goalkeeper's jersey was taken by Bert Williams.

[30] Swift also represented Great Britain in a 1947 match against a "Rest of Europe" team, played to celebrate the return of the Home Nations to FIFA.

[48] Several members of Swift's family attended the February 2008 Manchester derby, played in the week of the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster.