John Hunter (13 August 1851 – 9 April 1903[1]) was an Englishfootballer who won theFA Cup withBlackburn Olympic in1883 and made seven appearances forEngland between1878 and1882 playing athalf back.
Hunter was born inCrookes, Nether Hallam, Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire on 13 August 1851[1] and worked as abutcher andsilvercutler in the city whilst playing for various clubs, includingHeeley, Providence, Sheffield Albion andThe Zulus.
He won all hisEngland caps whilst playing for Sheffield Heeley, a club he originally joined in 1870.[2]
In 1877 he played forDruids in their FA Cup match againstQueen's Park at Hampden Park, Glasgow.[3]
His first international appearance was atHampden Park,Glasgow againstScotland on 2 March 1878. Although England "fielded a side they thought capable of defeating the Scots, ...(they) returned home with a humiliating 7-2 defeat".[4][5] He was next selected inMarch 1880 for matches away to Scotland (lost 5-4) andWales which resulted in a 3–2 victory; this was Hunter's only victory in his seven England appearances.
He was again selectedthe following year for the two home internationals. In the match against Wales, played atAlexandra Meadows,Blackburn on 26 February 1881, he was appointed captain, but Wales achieved their first victory on English soil with a 1-0 success.[6] For the following game, Hunter retained his place but the captaincy moved toNorman Bailey. In the match, played atKennington Oval,London on 12 March 1881, England suffered yet another "humiliating" defeat as the Scots returned home with a 6–1 victory.
Despite England's poor performances against the Scots, Hunter was again selected for the international matches inMarch 1882. In both these matches, England conceded five goals going down 5–1 atHampden Park,Glasgow on 11 March and 5–3 at theRacecourse Ground,Wrexham two days later. These two defeats brought Hunter's international career to a close.
After a short spell withThe Wednesday, Hunter was appointed manager of a public house in Blackburn where he joined theOlympic in 1882 as both player and coach. Blackburn Olympic had been founded in August 1877 and soon evolved into one of the finest sides inLancashire. Hunter, an astute coach and tactician, taught the Olympic players the art of the passing game. Hunter coached a team of tradesmen and weavers to overcome the dominance of local rivals,Blackburn Rovers, and the amateur teams ofsouthern England to win theFA Cup in1883.
It was Hunter who decided to take the team toBlackpool for a few days' relaxation prior to the final, which had been unheard of previously.[7] In the final (againstOld Etonians played on 31 March 1883 at theKennington Oval), Hunter played atcentre half and marshalled the defence, who were able to keep the Old Etonians forwards at bay thus allowing the fitter Olympics side to come from behind to claim the cup with a 2–1 victory after extra time. Hunter's delight at the triumph was demonstrated by his shouting, as he collected his medal, "fifteen years at football, and got the English cup at the finish".[8]
Hunter remained with Olympic until 1887, before joining Blackburn Rovers. After a short spell playing for Rovers, Hunter became assistant trainer and groundsman atEwood Park, as well as working as a licensee inBlackburn.[2]
From 1897 Hunter had a short spell as coach to Cheshire sideNew Brighton Tower, helping that team rise from theLancashire League to a brief sojourn in the Football League.
He died ofconsumption on 9 April 1903.[9]
Blackburn Olympic
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