Former FA coach and York St John alumnus Dick Bate awarded posthumous honorary fellowship

Dick’s wife Maggie and sons Nick and Matthew accepted the award on Wednesday 26 June, during a special ceremony in which the University presented honorary degrees to former students of Ripon College and York St John who were awarded a Certificate of Education before 1980.

Dick was an exemplary member of the 1965-1968 PE cohort at York St John and a member of the 1960’s cup-final winning university team. He dedicated his life to football and sadly passed away in April 2018. During an eminent career, the one-time FA elite coaching manager held a number of positions at professional clubs including Watford, Sheffield Wednesday, Notts County, Southend United, Lincoln City, Leeds United and Cardiff City.

He also held technical director roles with the Canadian and Malaysian football associations and delivered coach education courses in 63 countries across six continents. In 2018, a training pitch used to train coaches at St George’s Park, home to England’s 28 national teams, was named after Dick. 

Former classmate in the 1965 PE cohort entry, John Wedrychowski, delivered a citation about Dick at the honorary degree ceremony. He said:

“Dick combined his personality, his physical skills and all that he learned at York St John and put it to use during the fifty years he spent immersed in football. He developed an unparalleled understanding of the concept of team play and was an expert in communicating this expertise to others.”

In six ceremonies spread over three days, the Honorary Degree of Bachelor of Education (Bed Hon) was awarded to more than 700 alumni in celebration of the University’s 178-year heritage as an educational institution and in recognition of the academic rigor demanded by the Certificate of Education of the hundreds of teachers who have gone on to inspire generations of young minds. Honorary fellowships are awarded to alumni who have achieved great success in their field and who provide inspiration to York St John students and staff.