Mark Jones (footballer, born 1933)

Mark Jones (15 June 1933 – 6 February 1958) was an English footballer and one of eight Manchester United players to lose their lives in the Munich air disaster.

He was the club's first-choice centre-half for much of the 1950s and collected two League Championship winner's medals.

He made his first two senior appearances for United in the 1950–51 season, aged 17, and by the time of United's title glory in 1955–56 he was a regular first team player, although he often found himself out of the team in favour of Jackie Blanchflower (who was originally a wing-half or an inside-forward), having previously been understudy to the veteran Allenby Chilton.

[1] He missed the 1957 FA Cup Final defeat to Aston Villa because of an eye injury, although he did collect a second successive league title medal that season and helped United reach the semi-finals of the European Cup.

He came close to international action, having been selected on the substitutes' bench, but his hopes of a breakthrough were not helped by the fact that his career coincided with that of Billy Wright.

Jones (back row, third from right) in a Manchester United team photo in 1957