Ron Atkinson played 560 first team games for the club, a total which is unmatched by anyone who has played for Oxford in their Football League years.

Ron in his playing days for Oxford United

An inspirational and successful captain, Ron has rarely been out of the media spotlight since the mid 1970s as he has managed a number of major clubs including Manchester United, and been involved regularly in television commentaries of the largest football events, including World Cup Final tournaments.

Known at the Manor as 'Tank' long before making the nickname 'Big Ron' his very own, Atkinson joined Southern Leaguers Headington United from Aston Villa as a 20-year-old in the summer of 1959. He played as a right half in the earlier part of his career, switching to central midfield in the late 1960s.

A dominant personality, Ron soon became one of the youngest captains in professional football and skippered the U's to consecutive Southern League Championships in 1960-61 and 1961-62.
Atkinson skippered United as they became the first Fourth Division Club to reach the FA Cup quarter finals (1963-64) and to the League Cup Quarter Finals (1969-70). His spell of leadership included the period 1962-68, which saw Oxford rise from being a non-league club to a member of what is now the First Division.

Ron left at the age of 32 to join Kettering as player-manager in November 1971. He gained great success as manager of Cambridge United and took West Bromwich to third place in the top flight. Ron joined Manchester United in June 1981.

In his five years at Old Trafford, the Red Devils won two FA Cups, reached their first European semi-final for 15 years, and reached the League Cup final for the only time between 1960 and 1991. This was a period of vast dominance in the League by Liverpool but the only five year spell between 1964 and 1995 when Manchester United never finished outside the top four was Atkinson's five year tenure at Old Trafford.

Ron later managed Wednesday to their only major trophy since 1935 and led Villa to their only major trophy since 1982 (both Wembley League Cup triumphs over the Red Devils). His other managerial appointments have included stints at Atletico Madrid, West Bromwich, Coventry and Nottingham Forest.

'Big Ron' as he is known by millions now

Atkinson was already working as a pundit for ITV and after leaving management he continued in this role.

This changed on 21 April 2004, when Atkinson resigned from ITV after he was caught making a racist remark live on air about the black Chelsea F.C. player Marcel Desailly when he believed the microphone had been switched off. Since the Desailly incident, Atkinson has claimed that the comment was an aberration and that he is not racist, citing in his defence that his West Brom side was the first high-profile British club to have a significant number of black players.

He has since made a return to football commentary and can be heard presenting on Football Italia.

On January 23, 2007 Atkinson returned to Kettering Town, the club he had managed more than 30 years previously, as Director of Football. However it was announced on April 19, 2007 that he had left the post at the Conference North club following his disapproval over the sacking of manager Morell Maison.

History compiled by Andy Howland