Sir Alex Ferguson and JFK: Honoring the Memory of John F. Kennedy, 50 Years After His Death

Fifty years ago today in Dallas, United States President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. While today the US media is in a frenzy about the tragic day, those who have recently read Sir Alex Ferguson’s recently released autobiography have learned that the study of JFK is one of Ferguson’s passions outside football.

Sir Alex Ferguson writes:

“Labour politics and the great vineyards aside, America was the source of my main intellectual interests. JFK, the Civil War, Vince Lombardi and the great American ball games: these were among my escapes from the pressures of football.”

On JFK, Ferguson writes:

“The killing of John Kennedy in Dallas in 1963 left its mark on me from the day I heard the news. Over time I developed a forensic interest in how he was killed, by whom and why.

“For a young lad like me, Kennedy captured the imagination. He was a good looking boy and there was a certain spark about him.”

Ferguson talks extensively about his thoughts regarding JFK’s presidency, watching the JFK movies, and buying JFK biographies including Robert Dallek’s An Unfinished Life (a book I highly recommend as well).

Fifty years after JFK’s death, it’s interesting to see how he inspired one of football’s greatest managers of all-time and how his historic legacy is still on Ferguson’s mind today.

Editor’s note: Read and watch more analysis and opinion about Sir Alex Ferguson.