 Hunter in 1969 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Norman Hunter | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1943-10-29)29 October 1943 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Eighton Banks, County Durham, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 17 April 2020(2020-04-17) (aged 76) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Leeds, West Yorkshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1959–1962 | Leeds United | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1962–1976 | Leeds United | 540 | (18) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1976–1979 | Bristol City | 108 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1982 | Barnsley | 31 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 679 | (22) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1964–1969 | Football League | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1964–1965 | England U23 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1965–1974 | England | 28 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1984 | Barnsley | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1987 | Rotherham United | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Norman Hunter (29 October 1943 – 17 April 2020) was an English professionalfootballer who played forLeeds United,Bristol City,Barnsley and theEngland national team. He alsomanaged Barnsley andRotherham United. A tough tacklingcentre-back anddefensive midfielder, he won twoLeague Championship medals and oneFA Cup-winners medal with Leeds, for whom he played 726 games in total, scoring 21 goals.
Hunter played in 28 full internationals for England, scoring twice. He was a member of England's1966 FIFA World Cup winning squad but, as understudy toBobby Moore, he did not play in the tournament. He was the first winner of thePFA Players' Player of the Year award in 1974, and was included in theFootball League 100 Legends, published in 1998.
An early victim ofCOVID-19 when the pandemic began in 2020, Hunter was admitted to hospital on 10 April after testing positive. He died of the disease a week later, aged 76. On 23 April, Leeds United announced that the South Stand at itsElland Road stadium would be renamed theNorman Hunter South Stand in his honour.
Norman Hunter was born on 29 October 1943 atEighton Banks, County Durham.[1] His father, Norman senior, died before he was born.[2] Hunter and his brother Robert were brought up by their mother, Betty, with the help of her sister and two football-playing uncles.[3][4] He attended Eighton Banks Primary School till he was eleven and then went toBirtley Secondary Modern School till he was 15.[5] He playedjunior football throughout his school years and, in his autobiography, recalled how one teacher tried to make him become a right-footed player.[6] However, another teacher realised that Hunter had real potential as a left-footed player and encouraged him to develop his natural game.[7] He joined Birtley Juniors FC and had played in only a few games before he was spotted by a talent scout working forLeeds United.[8][9] After playing in a trial match for Leeds United Juniors againstBradford Park Avenue Juniors,[8] Hunter was invited to join the ground staff atElland Road.[10][11][12] He had just left school[4] and gave up a job as anelectrical fitter to pursue his football career.[9]
Leeds were in theFirst Division when Hunter arrived at Elland Road in the summer of 1959. Theteam manager wasJack Taylor, who had taken over fromBill Lambton on 1 May 1959.[13] Lambton had signedDon Revie fromSunderland in November 1958[14] andBilly Bremner, a Scottish Schoolboys international, soon afterwards.[15]
Leeds had been promoted from theSecond Division in1955–56, the season in whichJack Charlton became a first team regular, but they had struggled sinceJohn Charles left in May 1957,[16] and were relegated after the1959–60 season.[17] In March 1961, with the team in the lower half of the Second Division table, Taylor resigned and Revie took over asplayer-manager until March 1962 when he retired as a player and became the full-time manager.[18] This was significant for young players like Hunter and Bremner because Revie initiated a youth development policy which was the basis of the club's future success. Among those who graduated werePaul Reaney,Peter Lorimer,Terry Cooper,Eddie Gray, andPaul Madeley.[19]
Hunter's graduation was in the1962–63 season when Revie promoted him to the first team. He and Paul Reaney made their debuts in a Second Division match againstSwansea Town atVetch Field on 8 September 1962, Leeds winning 2–0.[9] Hunter formed a central defence partnership with Jack Charlton which lasted for over a decade.[11] Leeds finished fifth in 1962–63,[20] Hunter playing in 36 of their 42 matches,[21] and then won the Second Division title in1963–64, Hunter playing in all 42 matches.[22][21] Leeds returned to the First Division where, for the rest of Hunter's career with them, they were one of the strongest and most competitive teams in both English and European football.[23] Hunter was a consistent performer, playing in over forty matches per season from 1962–63 to 1974–75; and was an ever-present in five seasons.[23][21]
Hunter made an immediate impact on the First Division in1964–65 and, only two months into the season on 28 October 1964 (the day before his 21st birthday), he was selected to play for theFootball League XI against theIrish League XI inBelfast. The Football League XI won 4–0.[24] A week later, he made his debut for theEngland under-23 (u-23) team againstWales u-23 on theRacecourse Ground inWrexham. His Leeds team-mate, goalkeeperGary Sprake, was playing for Wales u-23. England won 3–2.[25]
Although they were newly promoted,[22] Leeds had an exceptional season in 1964–65 and performed a "runners-up double" by finishing second in the league toManchester United ongoal average;[26] and losing 2–1, afterextra time, toLiverpool in the1965 FA Cup final.[27][28] Hunter made 51 appearances for Leeds in all competitions, missing only one league match.[21] He also played in three matches for the England u-23s and two for the Football League XI.[29]
Leeds began the1965–66 season with a home match against Sunderland on 21 August 1965. They did not play well and struggled to break the Sunderland defence, even afterGeorge Mulhall was sent off in the second half. Four minutes from time, the ball ran loose in the Sunderland penalty area and Hunter, running forward in support, met it near the penalty spot and volleyed home to give Leeds a 1–0 win.[30][31]
Hunter continued to play a key role in the Leeds defence and his form impressedEngland managerAlf Ramsey, who included him in the squad for a match againstSpain at theSantiago Bernabéu Stadium inMadrid on 8 December 1965. Hunter was asubstitute and he replacedJoe Baker in the 43rd minute, thereby making his full international debut.[32] He played as adefensive midfielder and that allowed Ramsey to deploy bothBobby Charlton andAlan Ball in more attacking roles as England won 2–0.[33]
Leeds did well in the league again and were runners-up to Liverpool, albeit six points adrift. They gained 55 points from their 42 matches, the same asBurnley with Leeds having the better goal average.[34] Hunter played in 41 of the 42 League matches and scored five goals, his highest total in a single season.[21] Leeds had less success in the two domestic cup competitions, losing 4–2 at home toWest Bromwich Albion in the third round of theLeague Cup (West Brom went on to win the tournament);[35] and losing 1–0 toChelsea atStamford Bridge in the fourth round of theFA Cup.[36] Leeds had qualified for the1965–66 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and progressed to the semi-finals with Hunter an ever-present in their eleven matches. They had victories overTorino (2–1 on aggregate),SC Leipzig (2–1),Valencia (2–1), andÚjpesti Dózsa (5–2). In the semi-final, they drew 2–2 on aggregate withReal Zaragoza but lost the replay 3–1.[37][38]
Hunter was a key player for Leeds throughout this period as they became one of the strongest teams in Europe by reaching five European finals while he played for them.[39] They qualified for theInter-Cities Fairs Cup again in 1966–67 and this time reached the two-leg final againstDinamo Zagreb. Hunter played in both matches but Leeds lost 2–0 on aggregate.[40]
Leeds won both theFootball League Cup and the Fairs Cup in 1967–68. In theLeague Cup final atWembley Stadium, they metArsenal and won the match with a goal scored byTerry Cooper after 20 minutes. The match was reported as a "poor do", and as a "a drab and dull game for the neutrals", but it was one in which Hunter excelled as he and Cooper were rated its best players. Hunter's performance was described as "distinguished".[41][42]
In the 1967–68 Fairs Cup, Leeds reachedthe final following successive wins against Scotland'sHibernian,Rangers, andDundee. The two-legged final was against Hungary'sFerencváros, who were rated a "crack outfit" and "probably [Leeds'] biggest test yet". They had defeated Liverpoolen route to the final.[43][44] In the first leg at Elland Road, Ferencváros played a defensive game and their coach said before the match that "a draw will suit us in Leeds".[43] Hunter came close to scoring early on but Leeds struggled to capitalise on their attacking opportunities.Mick Jones scored the only goal of the match in the 41st minute.[43] Leeds were not expected to win the second leg inBudapest. The match was played only three weeks after theWarsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia and, as Hungarian forces had been involved, there were concerns that the match might be cancelled.[45] Ferencváros had to play their normal attacking game in this match and the Leeds defence, including Hunter, faced "its sternest test yet". They held on and the match was goalless, so Leeds won their first European trophy.[45][44]
Leeds won theLeague Championship for the first time in 1969, finishing six points ahead of Liverpool and losing only twice.[39] Hunter played in all 42 league matches.[21] In 1970–71, Leeds won the Fairs Cup again, defeatingJuventus on theaway goals rule in the two-leg final. The aggregate score was 3–3 after the teams drew 2–2 inTurin and 1–1 at Elland Road.[46] Hunter and Jack Charlton were outstanding for Leeds in the first leg, in which they had to containHelmut Haller,Roberto Bettega,Franco Causio, andPietro Anastasi, who at the time was the world's most expensive footballer.[47] In his report of the Elland Road match, Phil Brown of theYorkshire Evening Post wrote:[48]
It took a tremendous effort for United to maintain this double effort. Even Norman Hunter was looking weary and that above all else shows the amount of strain United have been through because if there is an iron man in British football today it is Norman Hunter.
Before the1972 FA Cup final at Wembley, some Leeds fans displayed a banner reading 'Norman Bites Yer Legs' and, afterITV had screened it several times, Hunter was thereafter nicknamed "Bites Yer Legs".[39][49] He eventually met the fans who created the banner and "had a laugh about it".[49] He remarked that there had been jokes about the banner ever since, such as his wife saying: "Norman's come home today with a damaged leg"; and the response: "Oh, yes, who does it belong to?"[49]
In Hunter's autobiography, he remarked on the disappointment of having been on the losing side in an FA Cup final and was determined that Leeds would win the 1972 final, commenting that he was "really wound up for it".[50] They defeated Arsenal 1–0 with a goal byAllan Clarke and there is a photograph of Hunter leaping into the air to celebrate the goal being scored.[51] At the end of the game, Hunter climbed the steps to the Royal box twice; once to collect his own medal, and then again to help Mick Jones negotiate his way up and down, as Jones had been receiving treatment for adislocated elbow while his teammates had been getting their prizes.[52]
In May 1973, Hunter was on the losing team in two finals. In theFA Cup final at Wembley, Leeds surprisingly lost 1–0 toSunderland, who were then in theSecond Division. A few days later, Leeds were defeated 1–0 byAC Milan in theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup final at theKaftanzoglio Stadium inThessaloniki. Hunter was sent off for retaliation[23] and the game was over-shadowed by rumours of match-fixing.[53][54]
Inthe 1973–74 season, Leeds were unbeaten in their first 29 matches, an achievement that enabled them to hold off a strongLiverpool challenge and win the League Championship, giving Hunter his second League winners medal.[55] On 20 October, having played his 600th match for Leeds, he was presented with a silver salver before the home match against Liverpool. Both teams formed a guard of honour. Hunter then produced a performance described as "quite splendid" to help Leeds defeat their closest rivals 1–0, the goal scored by Mick Jones.[56] At the end of the season, Hunter was the first winner of thePFA Players' Player of the Year award.[39][23]
As champions, Leeds entered theEuropean Cup the following season, and Hunter was a member of the team that reached the1975 European Cup final but lost 2–0 toBayern Munich.[57][58]
Towards the end of his career with Leeds, Hunter was in their team for a league match againstDerby County at theBaseball Ground on 1 November 1975. Derby won the match 3–2 but it is remembered for a fistfight between Hunter and Derby'sFrancis Lee. Hunter was outraged when Lee won a first halfpenalty by allegedlytaking a dive to fool the referee into thinking Hunter hadfouled him.Charlie George scored the penalty to give Derby a 2–1 lead. In the second half, Hunter deliberately provoked Lee with a late tackle. Lee retaliated and Hunter punched him in the mouth, causing a lip injury that neededstitches. Thereferee sent both players off but Lee attacked Hunter again as they walked towards the touchline. Hunter was knocked down and several players and officials were needed to stop the fight which was shown onMatch of the Day that night.[59] In 2003, the incident was selected byThe Observer as 'sport's most spectacular dismissal'.[60]
Having made 540 Football League appearances for Leeds, and 726 in all competitions,[61] Hunter signed forBristol City on 28 October 1976 for £40,000.[62] City had just been promoted back to the First Division after an absence of 65 years. Hunter played in 108 league matches for them till the end of the 1978–79 season. He scored four goals and was the club's player of the season in both 1976–77 and 1977–78. In Hunter's three seasons, City finished 19th, 17th, and 13th in the First Division. They won only two of eight English cup ties, but they did win the1977–78 Anglo-Scottish Cup, beatingSt Mirren 3–2 in the final.[63][64][65]
Hunter finished his playing career atBarnsley, who had just been promoted from theFourth Division to theThird when he joined them in June 1979. Barnsley's manager wasAllan Clarke, one of Hunter's former Leeds team-mates. Hunter made 24 league appearances in 1979–80 and Barnsley finished 11th. Returning to Leeds, Clarke departed at the end of the season and Hunter replaced him asteam manager, initially as a player-manager. He played in just six matches in 1980–81 and led Barnsley to promotion as Division Three runners-up. Hunter then retired from playing to concentrate on management, but he did make one additional league appearance in 1982–83 because of an injury crisis.[66][21]
Hunter played three games for theEngland under-23 team before he was given his debut for theEngland team.[61] On 8 December 1965, England playedSpain in Madrid, and Hunter made his debut after coming on as a substitute.[61]
The established partnership between Jack Charlton andBobby Moore meant that Hunter spent much of his international career as an understudy to Moore; he won 28 caps in total.[67][68] He was inthe squad which won the1966 FIFA World Cup but did not play in any of the matches.[66]
Hunter scored the winning goal against Spain in England's quarter-final qualifying round for the 1968 European Championship, he then started in both the 1–0 semi final defeat toYugoslavia and the 2–0 victory over theSoviet Union in the bronze medal match.[69] He spent a short part of the 1970 season injured but he was inAlf Ramsey's squad for the summer's World Cup in Mexico, however his only appearance in the tournament was coming on as a late substitute in the 3–2 defeat byWest Germany.[11]
In 1973, Hunter was in the England team which needed to win their last qualifying tie for the1974 World Cup inWest Germany. The opposition at Wembley werePoland, who just needed a draw to qualify at England's expense. It was 0–0 when Hunter went to make a tackle, but instead trod on the ball and lost it. Poland quickly made a counter-attack allowingGrzegorz Lato to run clear and set upJan Domarski to score.[62][70] Allan Clarke equalised with a penalty but England could not score again, and the 1–1 draw saw them miss out on a place at the World Cup.[71]
In addition to his international appearances, Hunter played forThe Football League XI six times.[72] In these matches, from October 1964 to September 1969, he played against similar teams representing Ireland (3), Scotland (2) and Belgium. The Football League won all three of the matches against the Irish League; drew 2–2 with the Belgian League; and drew one and lost one against the Scottish League.[29] On 11 June 1967, he travelled toMontreal with theFootball Association XI to play in an exhibition match againstBorussia Dortmund as part of an Expo International Tournament. The FA XI won 3–2 and Hunter scored the winning goal.[73]
As Don Revie explained at some length in a tribute to Hunter for his 1974–75 testimonial at Leeds, Hunter's job was to win the ball and move it forward. Revie pointed out that Hunter could read the game so that he was invariably well-positioned, and would win the ball by performing committed and uncompromising tackles when necessary. Aware that Hunter was widely perceived to be a physical player only, Revie emphasised that Hunter had good ball control and his passing was accurate, so he was actually a very skilful player.[74]
Like his contemporariesTommy "Anfield Iron" Smith of Liverpool,Nobby Stiles of Manchester United andRon "Chopper" Harris of Chelsea, Hunter always had the reputation of being a hard man on the field. However, he said in his autobiography that, of the four, only Smith was "naturally tough" – Harris, Stiles and Hunter himself were all, he said, "laid back off the field". (Hunter and Smith were close friends.)[75]
When Hunter died, his long-time Leeds team-mateEddie Gray directed attention to his skill as a player by saying:[12][4]
Norman was a truly great football player. A lot of great players have walked through the gates of Elland Road and Norman was right up there with the best of them. It's a sad day for everybody connected with the club. He was a great reader of the game, great left foot, great passer, so influential in our team.
Revie described Hunter as "the most honest person I've ever met" and also pointed out the warmth of his personality. Revie remarked on the level of Hunter's competitive spirit in any type of sport or game, not just football. Hunter, he said, "only plays one way – to win".[74]
Hunter was appointed Barnsley manager on 16 September 1980 after Allan Clarke left to take over as manager of Leeds United. Initially a player-manager, Hunter achieved promotion to the Second Division in his debut season, 1980–81, after Barnsley finished second.[66] The team did well in 1981–82, finishing in sixth place and only four points shy of promotion.[76] They had a fine run of success in the1981–82 Football League Cup and reached the quarter-finals after a 1–0 home win againstManchester City. In that round, they were drawn away to Liverpool and produced a surprise result by drawing 0–0 against the European champions atAnfield. The tie went to a replay atOakwell where Barnsley scored first, throughColin Walker after 21 minutes. Their hopes of glory were dashed, however, asGraeme Souness equalised before half-time and then Liverpool scored twice in the last ten minutes, with goals byDavid Johnson andKenny Dalglish, to win 1–3 (Liverpool went on to win the competition).[77]
Barnsley did less well in 1982–83, but still finished a creditable tenth in the Second Division.[78] In 1983–84, they struggled to avoid relegation and Hunter was sacked on 8 February 1984 after a 3–2 home defeat byCardiff City.[66] Barnsley did not forget Hunter's promotion season and, following his death in 2020, he was inducted into the club's Oakwell Hall of Fame; Clarke was inducted on the same day.[79]
Hunter's next job was as a coach at West Bromwich Albion for part of the 1984–85 season. The manager there was Johnny Giles, another of his former Leeds team-mates. However, Hunter was fully settled in Yorkshire and found the travel to and from Birmingham too much, so he resigned.[4]
He was appointed manager of Third DivisionRotherham United on 24 June 1985. Rotherham, known as the 'Millers', had finished twelfth in 1984–85. They hoped that Hunter could lead a push for promotion in 1985–86, but the team were not up to the task and finished 14th.[80] They had a good run in theFA Cup with big home wins in the first two rounds againstWolves (6–0) andBurnley (4–1). In the third round, they were drawn away against non-leagueFrickley Athletic and won 3–1, but the run ended in the fourth round with a trip to Arsenal where they were beaten 5–1.[81]
Rotherham did not improve in 1986–87 and again finished 14th. They lost toChester City in the first round of theFA Cup. Things got much worse in 1987–88. Rotherham struggled from the start of the season and, at the beginning of December, were in the relegation zone. Then, on 6 December, the 'Millers' had one of the worst defeats in their history when they were beaten 4–0 by non-leagueMacclesfield Town in the second round of theFA Cup. Three days later, Hunter was sacked.[4]
Hunter said that going to Bristol City was one of his best decisions, but going to Rotherham was the worst. For much of his time there, he had only nine professionals and, when he did buy a few players, the board sold them on. His two years at Rotherham were, he said, "the least enjoyable of my entire football career".[82]
In 1988, Hunter was employed as a coach at Leeds underBilly Bremner, but he was dismissed upon the appointment ofHoward Wilkinson as manager on 10 October that year.[83] His final job in football was as first team coach toTerry Yorath atBradford City from 13 March 1989[84] but was sacked on 19 February 1990.[85]
On 11 June 1968, Hunter married Sue Harper[62] and the couple had two children, Michael and Claire.[86] After leaving Bradford City, Hunter turned to the after-dinner circuit recounting his anecdotes and, from 1993 to 2020, he worked for local stationsBBC Radio Leeds andYorkshire Radio as a match summariser.[87] Hunter retained close links with Leeds United and its fans. He regularly attended Leeds matches and participated in club-hosted conferences and events; the eponymous "Norman Hunter Suite" is located in the West Stand at Elland Road.[9]
In 1998, theFootball League, as part of its centenary season celebrations, included Hunter in its list of100 League Legends.[88] He released his autobiography,Biting Talk, in 2004.[89] In November 2007, following a campaign led byThe FA, members of England's 1966 World Cup squad who did not play in the final, including Hunter, were belatedly awarded winner's medals byFIFA.[90] Hunter was presented with his medal byGordon Brown during a ceremony at10 Downing Street on 10 June 2009.[91]
In March 2009,Tom Hooper's filmThe Damned United was released. Based onDavid Peace's 2006 book,The Damned Utd, it dramatised Brian Clough's ill-fated 44 days as manager of Leeds United in 1974. Hunter was portrayed by character actor Mark Cameron in a supporting role. The film and the book have been slammed for historical inaccuracies and misrepresentation of characters.[92] Both have been the subject of litigation:Johnny Giles successfully sued the book's publishers for libel;[92]Dave Mackay won an apology and undisclosed damages from the makers of the film.[93] TheWorld Soccer review says, as an aside to Giles' legal action: 'Norman Hunter hardly says anything [in the book], but he's still alive so escapes Peace's hatchet job'.[92]
Clough's family were disgusted by the book and boycotted the film; friends of the family heavily criticised the film's portrayal of Clough.[94] Hunter is depicted as a dark and moody character who, in one scene, assaults Clough during a training session.Joe Jordan has categorically denied that such an incident ever happened and says of the whole drama: 'There were just too many inaccuracies, too many people were saying things they didn't say, and doing things they didn't do'.[95] The film's negative portrayal of Hunter is sharply at odds with his real off-the-field persona, evidenced by the many tributes paid to him before and after his death, as 'an amiable, popular and lovable man'.[23][11][4] Hunter was one of the contributors toPhil Rostron's retaliatoryWe Are the Damned United, published in August 2009, which sought to set the record straight about Leeds under Clough.[96]
In 2013, Hunter was diagnosed with rarecancer typeChronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL), which attacks blood and bone marrow. He received treatment for the rest of his life at theLeeds Cancer Centre.[97][98]
On 10 April 2020, it was reported that Hunter was being treated in hospital after testing positive forCOVID-19.[68][99] On 16 April, a bulletin said he was 'severely unwell'.[100] The following day, Leeds United announced that Hunter had died from the virus, aged 76, stating that '[his death] leaves a huge hole in the Leeds United family [and] his legacy will never be forgotten'.[101][99][9] The club announced on 23 April that the South Stand at Elland Road would be renamed in his honour as theNorman Hunter South Stand.[102]
In June 2021, Hunter's family began the Norman Hunter Golf Day in his honour. This is an annual charity event at Horsforth Golf Club, where Hunter held membership, to raise funds for CLL cancer research in Leeds. In its first three years, the event raised £112,368. In May 2024, ahead of that year's event, Norman's wife Sue told Leeds Hospitals Charity that she was delighted with the response to the events and hoped the funds raised would help to revolutionise CLL treatment.[97][98]
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