Geoff Hurst

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Hurst was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England, on 8 December 1941. He had two younger siblings: Diane and Robert. His family moved to Chelmsford, Essex when he was six. His father, Charlie Hurst, was a professional footballer who played at centre-half for Bristol Rovers, Oldham Athletic and Rochdale. His mother, Evelyn Hopkins, was from a Gloucestershire family, with her mother's side originally from Germany. As a teenager he was once fined £1 for disturbing the peace after persistently kicking a football into his neighbour's garden. He played one first-class cricket match for Essex in 1962, making 0 not out in the first innings and bowled for 0 in the second. He appeared 23 times for the Essex Second XI between 1962 and 1964, usually as a wicket-keeper. Under his father's management, he played once for Halstead Town reserves at about age 14.

In Their Own Story

In the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley, Hurst became the first player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, as England recorded a 4–2 victory over West Germany. His third goal remains one of the most debated moments in football history, with questions about whether the ball crossed the goal line before being cleared by the German defense. The referee pointed to the center circle, and history was made.

Reader's Guide

Hurst began his football career apprenticed to West Ham United at age 15. He turned professional at the club four months after being first selected for a senior game in December 1958. He scored 242 goals in 500 first team appearances for West Ham, winning the FA Cup in 1964 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1965. He was sold to Stoke City in 1972 for £80,000. With Stoke he won the Watney Cup in 1973. He finished his Football League career with West Bromwich Albion in 1976. He later played in Ireland (Cork Celtic) and the United States (Seattle Sounders), then managed non-league Telford United, coached in the England set-up, and managed Chelsea from 1979 to 1981. He later coached Kuwait SC. In total, he scored 24 goals in 49 England appearances, also appearing at UEFA Euro 1968 and the 1970 FIFA World Cup.

Did You Know?

• He scored six goals in a First Division match for West Ham against Sunderland on 19 October 1968, which West Ham won 8–0.
• He once admitted handling the ball in his first goal of that six-goal game, leading to headlines focusing on the illegitimate goal.
• He was the subject of a £200,000 transfer offer by Manchester United manager Matt Busby after the 1966 World Cup, but West Ham rejected it.
• He played on loan for Cape Town City in South Africa while recovering from pneumonia in early 1973.