26 | FOREVER Keele
ALUMNI CONTRIBUTIONS
Charity match in memory of Varsity hero
On Saturday 4 September , Keele campus was home to a charity football match in memory of alumnus Richard McPartlin , who tragically passed away 20 years ago , in September 2001 .
Rich McPartlin was an extremely talented player – he captained Keele Men ’ s Football first team , represented English Universities , led Keele to the Northern Universities Division One title in 2001 , and was also awarded Keele Sportsman of the Year in the same year .
Alongside these sporting successes , Rich also instigated the inaugural Varsity match between Keele and Staffordshire Universities – in which he scored the winning golden goal against Staffs in 2001 . His legacy lives on , with the competition between the two universities taking place annually , and which has now grown to a huge multi-sport event which is the biggest event in both universities ’ sporting calendars .