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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Edris Albert Hapgood | ||
| Date of birth | (1908-09-24)24 September 1908 | ||
| Place of birth | Bristol, England | ||
| Date of death | 20 April 1973(1973-04-20) (aged 64) | ||
| Place of death | Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Full-back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1927 | Kettering Town | 12 | (0) |
| 1927–1944 | Arsenal | 393 | (2) |
| Total | 405 | (2) | |
| International career | |||
| 1933–1939 | England | 30 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1944–1947 | Blackburn Rovers | ||
| 1948–1950 | Watford | ||
| 1950–1956 | Bath City | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Edris Albert "Eddie" Hapgood (24 September 1908 – 20 April 1973) was an Englishfootballer, who captained bothArsenal andEngland during the 1930s.
Hapgood was born inBristol and started his footballing career in the mid-1920s as an amateur playing in local football in theBristol Downs Association Football League for St Phillip's Marsh Adult School Juniors[1] (while employed as amilkman), before getting his big break atKettering Town in theSouthern League. He was signed byHerbert Chapman's Arsenal for £950 in 1927. Initially a thin and fragile player, Arsenal's trainerTom Whittaker forced him to take upweight training, and abandon his vegetarianism, and Hapgood eventually became known for his physique and power. He supplemented hisfootballer's maximum wage by fashion modelling and advertising chocolate.[2]
Hapgood made his Arsenal debut on 19 November 1927 againstBirmingham City but was initially used as backup forleft backHorace Cope; he did not become Arsenal's regular left back until early 1929, but after that he made the position his own, right up until the outbreak ofWorld War II in 1939. He played in Arsenal's 2–1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in theCharity Shield atStamford Bridge in October 1930.[3] Arsenal won the match 2–1.[3] He played 35 or more matches in every season in that period, earning a reputation as an elegant and unruffled defender; he even deputised asgoalkeeper on two occasions whenFrank Moss was injured.[4] Hapgood went on to succeedAlex James as Arsenal captain,[5] leading the side to the league title in1937–38, whilst personally winning fiveLeague Championships and twoFA Cups.
Hapgood also played for England 30 times, making his debut againstItaly in Rome, on 13 May 1933, which finished in a 1–1 draw. Hapgood became England captain and wore the armband 21 times; his first match as captain was the infamous "Battle of Highbury" on 14 November 1934, against Italy, who were reigningWorld Champions at the time. England had not taken part in the World Cup, so the match was billed as the "true" World Championship match. The match was notoriously dirty, with many players sustaining injuries, including Hapgood himself with a broken nose; England beat the Italians (who were reduced to ten men for most of the match) 3–2.[6]
Hapgood also captained England in another infamous match, againstGermany in Berlin on 14 May 1938, where Hapgood and his players were made to give theNazi salute before the match, under pressure from British diplomats.Hitler was not in attendance; England won the match 6–3.[citation needed]
The Second World War cut short Hapgood's playing career (he was only 30 when hostilities broke out). Hapgood served in theRoyal Air Force during the war, whilst also playing for Arsenal and England in unofficial matches. In June 1940, he was one of five Arsenal players who guested forSouthampton in a victory overFulham atCraven Cottage.[7] He also appeared as a guest player forWest Ham United later inSecond World War.[8]It was during the war that Hapgood fell out with the Arsenal management, after he was loaned out toChelsea[9] and eventually left the club under a dark cloud. He played 440 times in all for Arsenal, scoring two goals.[10]
In 1945, he wrote one of the first footballing autobiographies, entitledFootball Ambassador, and after the war moved into management. He had stints in charge ofBlackburn Rovers, and thenWatford andBath City. After that he left football completely; he fell on hard times and wrote back to his old club Arsenal asking for financial assistance (as he had never been given atestimonial match) but the club only sent him £30.[11][12] He spent his later years running aYMCA hostel inHarwell, Berkshire and Egdon Hall (hostel for UKAEA apprentices) in Lynch LaneWeymouth, Dorset. He died inLeamington Spa, Warwickshire, onGood Friday 1973 at the age of 64.[10]
Arsenal
Individual
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| National | |
