John Lewis - The co-founder of Blackburn Rovers and its first chairman.

This image is (c) Cottontown and is used with permission

The story of John Lewis and the town of Blackburn began before Rovers were even a twinkle in his eye. Not a native of Blackburn, he was born in Market Drayton in 1855. The patriarch of the family was his father, a Methodist preacher who moved the family to Blackburn in 1868. Lewis was still a pupil at the famed public school of Shrewsbury at the time along with another pupil with strong links to Blackburn, Arthur Constantine. These two would both later attend Cambridge while cultivating any possible enthusiasm for the burgeoning sport of football among the merchant class of Blackburn. By 1875 they decided that there was enough interest to form a sporting club for gentlemen and called a meeting to be held on November 4th 1875 at the St Leger Hotel on King William Street in Blackburn.

The meeting attracted seventeen men drawn from the wealthiest sections of Blackburn society and resulted in the birth of Blackburn Rovers. John Lewis was named as the first Blackburn Rovers Chairman and would preside over a period of unprecedented success for this very northern side. The wealth of the Lewis family would allow him to concentrate on what he liked best, football, particularly in its administration and he would continue to make funds available for the club in times of need.

As a player, Lewis was so wholehearted in his approach to the game that he would play in any game he could and not just for Rovers in his position of centre forward. As well as playing for the Blue and Whites, in 1877 he played for Darwen in their first ever FA Cup campaign and scored the first goal in their 3-0 first round FA Cup win over Manchester. Another connection with Darwen was cemented shortly after this when he married the daughter of the Mayor of Darwen. Quite simply, Lewis would play for anyone who asked him although his heart was always his own club, to whom he brought back much experience from the cup run when Rovers themselves decided to have a crack at the competition.

Rovers entered the 1879/80 FA Cup campaign, it was to be their first and Lewis' last in the tournament. After scoring one goal in three FA Cup ties, injury forced Lewis to retire from playing. As one of the founders of the Lancashire Football Association in 1878, Lewis went on to play a vital role in the growth of the national FA. To be able to still be involved in the game itself, he also took up refereeing. After overseeing cup domination and the rise of Rovers, Lewis resigned as chairman in 1888 to allow Dr Morley to take on the burden of supervising Rovers as a league club. Lewis would remain on the board until 1897, by which time his role in the Football League meant that he had to be seen as impartial.