Profile of Dennis Sydney Viollet on Famous Like Me

Dennis Sydney Viollet (September 20, 1933 in Manchester – March 6, 1999) was an English football player. Viollet came through the junior ranks at Manchester United. His first game for the club came against arch-rivals Newcastle United in 1953. He was a striker, along with Tommy Taylor for the Busby Babes of the 1950s. He was a survivor of the Munich air disaster. Dennis was a big part of the two championsips that were won by United in 1956 and 1957. Dennis scored 178 goals in 291 games for United. He was a lightning quick player, who combined well with Taylor's height to form a terrific strike force. After the Munich air disaster, Dennis proved his worth by scoring 32 goals in 36 games in 1960, a club record.

In 1962, Matt Busby surprisingly sold Dennis to Stoke City. He later played for Linfield and in the United States in the NASL, and managed Crewe Alexandra briefly in 1971.

In the 1980's, Viollet moved to Florida as assistant coach, and then coach, of the Jacksonville Teamen of the NASL and ASL. In 1990, Viollet took the reins of the Jacksonville University Dolphins, where he stayed through 1995. He then took the USISL Richmond Kickers to the 1995 American Double (USISL Premier League and US Open Cup titles). He stayed with Richmond for 2 seasons, then served as coach of the A-League Jacksonville Cyclones before his passing.

On 6 March 1999, Dennis Viollet died of cancer at the age of 65, in his adopted home of Jacksonville, Florida. Viollet was inducted into the first class of the USL Hall of Fame in 2002. The annual University of North Florida/Jacksonville University soccer match has been contested for the Viollet Cup since 2001.

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