Norman Hunter

Leeds United legend and England World Cup winner

Norman Hunter (29 October 1943 – 17 April 2020) was an English professional footballer who played for Leeds United, Bristol City, Barnsley and the England national team. He also managed Barnsley and Rotherham United. A tough tackling centre-back and defensive midfielder, he won two League Championship medals and one FA 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's 1966 FIFA World Cup winning squad but, as understudy to Bobby Moore, he did not play in the tournament. He was the first winner of the PFA Players' Player of the Year award in 1974, and was included in the Football League 100 Legends, published in 1998. An early victim of COVID-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 its Elland Road stadium would be renamed the Norman Hunter South Stand in his honour.

Quick Facts

Born: 29 October 1943
Birthplace: Eighton Banks, County Durham, England
Died: 17 April 2020
Place of death: Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Position: Centre-back
Total caps: 679
Total goals: 22

Facts from the source article.

Background

Norman Hunter was born on 29 October 1943 at Eighton Banks, County Durham. His father, Norman senior, died before he was born. Hunter and his brother Robert were brought up by their mother, Betty, with the help of her sister and two football-playing uncles. He attended Eighton Banks Primary School till he was eleven and then went to Birtley Secondary Modern School till he was 15.

He played junior football throughout his school years and, in his autobiography, recalled how one teacher tried to make him become a right-footed player. However, another teacher realised that Hunter had real potential as a left-footed player and encouraged him to develop his natural game. He joined Birtley Juniors FC and had played in only a few games before he was spotted by a talent scout working for Leeds United. After playing in a trial match for Leeds United Juniors against Bradford Park Avenue Juniors, Hunter was invited to join the ground staff at Elland Road.

He had just left school and gave up a job as an electrical fitter to pursue his football career. Leeds were in the First Division when Hunter arrived at Elland Road in the summer of 1959. The team manager was Jack Taylor, who had taken over from Bill Lambton on 1 May 1959. Lambton had signed Don Revie from Sunderland in November 1958 and Billy Bremner, a Scottish Schoolboys international, soon afterwards.

Leeds had been promoted from the Second Division in 1955–56, the season in which Jack Charlton became a first team regular, but they had struggled since John Charles left in May 1957, and were relegated after the 1959–60 season. In March 1961, with the team in the lower half of the Second Division table, Taylor resigned and Revie took over as player-manager until March 1962 when he retired as a player and became the full-time manager. 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 were Paul Reaney, Peter Lorimer, Terry Cooper, Eddie Gray, and Paul Madeley. Hunter's graduation was in the 1962–63 season when Revie promoted him to the first team. He and Paul Reaney made their debuts in a Second Division match against Swansea Town at Vetch Field on 8 September 1962, Leeds winning 2–0. Hunter formed a central defence partnership with Jack Charlton which lasted for over a decade.

From Ground Staff to First Division Legend

Hunter joined Leeds as ground staff in the summer of 1959 after being spotted by a scout while playing for Birtley Juniors. He gave up a job as an electrical fitter to pursue football. After Don Revie became full-time manager in March 1962, he promoted Hunter to the first team. Their debut was against Swansea Town on 8 September 1962. Hunter formed a central defence partnership with Jack Charlton that lasted over a decade. He played in all 42 matches during Leeds' promotion-winning 1963–64 season and maintained an ever-present record for five seasons.

The Defining Partnership with Jack Charlton

Hunter and Jack Charlton formed a central defence partnership for over a decade starting from Hunter's promotion in 1962. Hunter was known for his tough tackling as both a centre-back and defensive midfielder.