1 March 1980 - Look Away, Dixie

On 1 March 1980, Everton's greatest goalscorer Dixie Dean died of a heart attack at Goodison Park while watching his former club battle to a 2-2 draw with Merseyside rivals Liverpool. He was described by Bill Shankly as "the greatest center forward there will ever be."

Born William Dean in Birkenhead, across the Mersey River from Liverpool, in 1907, Dixie got his professional start in 1923 with Birkenhead club Tranmere Rovers, then in the Third Division. He stayed with Tranmere less than two seasons before moving to the First Division with Everton in 1924. Dominating in the air, he was an instant success for the Toffees, scoring 33 goals in his first full season.

Dean, however, was just warming up. Sidelined briefly in the 1926-27 season due to a skull fracture caused by a motorcycle accident, he still managed to find the back of the net 36 times, including twelve in five appearances for the English national team. In 1927-28, he scored an English record 60 league goals for Everton, including a hat-trick in the final match of the season to push him past the previous record of 59, set by Middlesbrough's George Camsell the previous season. He stayed with Everton until 1937, by which time he had scored a total of 383 goals for Everton in all competitions and helped them to two League titles (1928, 1932) and one FA Cup (1933).

After leaving Everton, Dean played briefly for Notts County (1938-39) and Sligo Rovers (1939). Although injuries had taken their toll on his form, he still managed to net 10 times for Sligo in seven appearances, including five in one match.

In 2001, Everton erected a statue of Dean outside the stadium. His number 9 shirt is regarded with honor by the club, having been worn subsequently by Toffee greats Tommy Lawson and Dave Hickson. It is currently worn by Landon Donovan, on loan from the LA Galaxy.

28 February 1942 - Zoff Takes Off

On 28 February 1942, Juventus keeper and Italian national team captain Dino Zoff was born in the northeastern Italian town of Mariano del Friuli. In a poll conducted by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, Zoff was voted the third best goalkeeper of the 20th Century, behind the Soviet Union's Lev Yashin and England's Gordon Banks.

After a rough start to his career in 1961 with his first club, Udinese, Zoff spent time with Mantova (1963-67) and Napoli (1967-72) before finally landing at Juventus, where he would establish himself as Italy's greatest goalkeeper. With Zoff in goal, the Bianconeri won six Scudettos between 1973 and 1982, as well as two Coppa Italia trophies (1979, 1983) and the UEFA Cup (1977). His greatest achievement, however, came with the Italian national team.

He received his first cap in 1968 while he was still with Napoli, but while the team won that year's European Championship, Zoff was not selected for the 1970 World Cup. After his move to Juve, he established himself as an Azzurri stalwart. After a disappointing first-round exit in 1974, Italy finished in fourth place for the 1978 World Cup, followed by another fourth-place finish in the 1980 European Championship.

Zoff captained Italy for the 1982 World Cup, guiding them to their third title with a 3-1 win over West Germany in the Final. Along the way, they had to pass through the second-round "group of death" with Argentina and Brazil, but the Azzurri won both of those matches to eliminate the South American powers.

He retired from playing in 1983, then joined Juventus as a coach. In 1988, he took the reins as manager, but was unsuccessful, getting sacked by his old club in 1990. After several brief spells at Lazio (1990-94, 1996-97, 2001), and one with the Azzurri (1998-2000), he made his last stop as manager of Fiorentina (2005), before retiring from the sport for good.

27 February 1900 - Bayern Is Born

On 27 February 1900, eleven football players in Munich split from their previously-existing sports club to form FC Bayern Munich. The new club would go on to become one of Europe's most successful clubs, winning a record 21 German league titles, a record 14 German Cup trophies, and eight European titles.

Those eleven players were members of Münchner TurnVerein 1879, which focused primarily on gymnastics. When a majority of the club decided not to allow their footballing contingent to join the German Football Association, the eleven left the club and started their own, selecting Franz John to be the new club's first president.

Bayern enjoyed early regional successes, then won their first national title in 1932 under coach Richard Kohn. Kohn, who was Jewish, left the club in 1933 to escape the Third Reich, and Bayern went into a fallow period that lasted throughout the war years. By the mid-1960s, however, they had started a resurgence behind players such as Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, and Sepp Maier.

They dominated the Budesliga from the '70s onward, winning 20 of their 21 league titles and 10 of their German Cup trophies between 1971 and 2008. They also established their European credentials with three consecutive European Cup trophies from 1974 to 1976. Still successful, Bayern currently sit second in the Budesliga table.