Ralph Coates

Coates was born in Hetton-le-Hole, County Durham. He was an apprentice colliery fitter and his footballing ability was spotted by Burnley's North-East scout Jack Hixon. Coates joined Burnley on trial in 1961, and after a period as an apprentice, turned professional in 1963. He made his first-team debut in December 1964, scoring his first goal in a 2–0 win against Leicester City in March 1965. He would go on to make 261 appearances for Burnley in all competitions, scoring 32 goals. After Burnley had been relegated from the First Division in 1971, Coates was sold to Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £190,000. He played over 300 games for Tottenham and earned winner's medals for the 1971–72 UEFA Cup and the 1972–73 Football League Cup, where he scored the winning goal in the final. Coates left Tottenham in 1978 and had a short period playing with St George in the Australian National Soccer League, before returning to play for Orient, where he was also on the coaching staff. He played 84 games in all competitions for Orient scoring 12 goals. He retired from professional football in 1982, but continued to play non-league football for Hertford Heath, Ware and Nazeing.

Coates played eight times for England U-23 and four times for England. He was a member of the initial squad for the 1970 World Cup but was not selected for the final squad which travelled to Mexico.

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Coates was married twice, first to Veronica Banks in 1968 (whom he subsequently divorced) and then to Lesley Clarkson in 1981 (from whom he had separated by the time of his death). He had a son and a daughter. Coates was a Labour Party supporter. After his football career ended, Coates became a travel agent. He later moved into the leisure industry, managing leisure centres in Chelmsford and Boreham Wood and was involved with Tottenham Hotspur for over 20 years, where he worked as a match-day host. He was also a football coach for disabled children.