Sometimes a non-celebrity football coach passes away unnoticed. Keith Alexander died of a brain aneurysm aged just 53. As a professional he played for lower league teams such as Barnet, Grimsby, Stockport, Lincoln, and Mansfield. After his playing career ended he went into coaching, where his biggest success was leading Lincoln City to four successive League Two play-off campaigns. Keith Alexander became the first full-time black manager in the Football League when he was named Lincoln manager in 1993 and thus became a role model to all aspiring black managers.
"There aren't enough black managers who are given a chance when you consider the number of black players," said Notts County youth team coach Michael Johnson.
"Keith was a trailblazer - someone I looked up to. I asked him what I need to do to follow in his footsteps. I could not believe the news when I heard it. It's a massive loss for young black coaches and for football as a whole. We have lost an absolute gentleman."
Keith Alexander 14th November 1956 - 3rd March 2010
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