Born into a military family in the north of Ireland, Dick Rowley played his earliest football for Fulwood Barracks in Preston, but had to switch to rugby at his grammar school. By his late teens, he was playing football at the Wiltshire/Hampshire border and, by the time he signed amateur forms for Second Division Southampton, he had represented both counties, in one sport or another, and had played twice for Swindon in the Third South. With Arthur Dominy departing for Everton in May 1926, Dick’s arrival was timely.

He went straight into the side at the start of the next season and was very soon a professional, settled in Dominy’s old position at inside-right, alongside Bill Rawlings. Easily the second-highest scorer to Rawlings in the League, he matched his five goals in the Saints’ run to the FA Cup semi-final – a feat that attracted First Division scouts. With those suitors spurned and Rawlings departing, Dick had a comparatively quiet couple of seasons, before storming back in 1929-30.Now featuring mainly at centre-forward, he scored 26 goals in the first 23 League and Cup games of that season, including four at Bradford City – the first time that had been achieved, away from home, by a Southampton player. Three goalless appearances later, he became a Tottenham player, at an irresistible fee of £3,750.

He had just won his fourth cap for Northern Ireland and would be awarded two more while with Spurs. Having started with a solid enough run in their Division II side, he played only spasmodically for the next season-and-a-half, before moving, within the division, to Preston. His League career ended there, but he played a bit for RAF Uxbridge after the War – a war in which he rose to the rank of Squadron Leader and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. He retired from the air force in the mid-1950s and became the secretary to the Hampshire CCC supporters’ club. Major Rowley, Dick’s father, once struck a fellow-spectator in The Dell stands, who had dared to criticise his son. The incident was reported to the Board, but the directors decided not to pursue the matter. He also had a younger brother, Louis, who had three games on the wing for the Reserves during 1926-27.