JULES RIMET AND DIXIE

	Jules Rimet (1873–1956)	28 August 1920 (acting)	1 March 1921	33 years, 297 days	France
		3	1 March 1921			21 June 1954

 On the 1st of March 1921, Frenchman, Jules Rimet (pictured became FIFA's third president and he remains their longest-serving president, being in the office for 33 years. A French attorney, Rimet was involved in FIFA's founding in 1904, but the presidency first went to his countryman, Robert Guérin. Guérin served for only two years and was succeeded by Englishman Daniel Woolfall. Rimet, meanwhile became the president of the French Football Federation in 1919 and remained in that position when he took over from Woolfall two years later, holding the two positions jointly for over twenty years.

When he ascended to the FIFA presidency, the organization had only 12 members, which he raised to 85 before the end of his term. But one of his most significant contributions was the establishment of the World Cup, which he proposed in 1928 and was first played in 1930. The World Cup trophy was renamed in his honor in 1946. Rimet wanted to bring countries together and what better way than to use sport as the motivator.

Rimet resigned as the FFF president in 1942, but remained FIFA president until 1954. His 33-year tenure remains the longest in FIFA history, with João Havelange's 24-year term a distant second.

In 1956, two years after his retirement, Rimet passed away, just two days after his 83rd birthday.

A reminder that the English effort at the World Cup might have been better had Bill "Dixie" Dean been available to play at centre forward. He died on this day in 1980 aged 73. Clearly not! Born in 1907 he passed away watching his beloved Everton play Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby on Matrch 1st 1980. 

In Everton's league championship-winning season of 1927-28, Dean scored a record 60 league goals (out of the team's 102), having played in 39 of Everton's 42 games. That season, he also made his debut for England: he went on to score eighteen goals in sixteen appearances for his country.

A statue of Dean was unveiled outside Goodison Park in May 2001. A year later, he became one of 22 players inducted into the inaugural English Football Hall of Fame.