On 3 September 1936 William Ralph Dean broke a goal scoring record that had stood for 22 years. Between 1892 and 1914 Billy Bloomer had amassed a huge total of 352 goals while playing for Derby County and Middlesbrough and had taken him 22 years to reach that total, Dean surpassed it in just 13.

The record was expected to have been equaled or beaten on the last day of the previous season. Only needing one goal after scoring a hattrick in the penultimate game of the season at Goodison Park, against Birmingham City, Everton had invited Billy Bloomer to Goodison Park to witness Dean attempt to break his record. However it was not to be on this day as injury prevented Dean from playing, instead he met Bloomer at the station and the two great goal scorers sat side by side to witness Everton romp to a 5-0 voctory.

The was equaled on the opening day of the 1936-37 season during Everton's 3-2 defeat at Arsenal and was beaten the following Wednesday when Dean scored again when Sunderland were defeated 3-1 at Goodison Park. By the end of his career Dixie Dean had scored a huge total of 379 goals in 438 leaguegames and only was surpasses in the early 1960's by Arthur Rowley, who was player / manager of Shrewsbury Town at the time of breaking Dean's record.