The Billy Wright Collection
A club and country colossus
| Full name: | William Ambrose Wright CBE |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | February 6, 1924 |
| Date of death: | September 3, 1994 |
| Clubs played for: | Wolves |
| Clubs managed: | Arsenal |
Club Career
One-club man Wright first worked at Wolves in 1938 when he was taken on as a member of the ground staff aged just 14. But clearly Wright was handier with a ball than a rake. He made his first team debut aged 15 in a 2-1 win over Notts County, then signed professional forms at 17.
The war interrupted his progress and, after guesting for Leicester in non-official games, he returned to Molineux in 1942. After the War the outstanding Wright was made club captain and subsequently led the team to three League Championships and one FA Cup. He retired as a player in August 1959 having made an astonishing 541 appearances.
Married to Joy Beverley of singing group The Beverley Sisters, Wright lived to see a stand at the Wolves ground named in his honour, before dying from stomach cancer in 1994, aged 70.
Club Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939-59 | Wolves | 490 | 13 |
International Career
Wright made his England debut in a ‘Victory International’, a 2-0 win over Belgium in January 1946, but made his full international debut against Ireland later that same year. England won 7-2. After being made captain in 1948, he went on to make a further 90 appearances (including three World Cup campaigns) until his retirement, making 105 appearances in all – 70 of them consecutive.
International Career Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946-59 | England | 105 | 3 |
Managerial Career
Wright went on to manage the England youth team and had four unspectacular years in charge at Arsenal, before going on to work in television.
Key Games
Wolves 3-1 Leicester (FA Cup final, April 30, 1949)
Wolves were overwhelming favourites to win the FA Cup having finished sixth in the First Division. Opponents Leicester, meanwhile, had struggled to avoid relegation from the Second Division. And there was to be no upset of the form book as Wright ran proceedings from the start.
Wolves 2-0 Tottenham (First Division, April 24, 1954)
After finishing second on goal average behind Portsmouth in 1950, many Wolves fans thought their best chance of a League title had gone. Wright had other ideas, though, leading the team through a thrilling 1953-54 campaign as Wolves battled it out with local rivals West Brom for the championship. But it was only on the last day of the season that the title was Wright’s. A 2-0 home win against Spurs thanks to a brace from Roy Swinbourne saw Wolves claim the title by just two points.
England 1-0 Scotland (Home International, April 11, 1959)
England won 1-0 thanks to a Bobby Charlton goal, but the game was much more significant as it marked the 100th appearance of skipper Billy Wright. He was the first international ever to reach this landmark and the record was to stand for another 10 years before it was broken by Charlton.
Honours
| Club | Competition | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Wolves | League Championship | 1953-54, 1957-58, 1958-59 |
| FA Cup | 1949 |
Did You Know...?
Wright captained the national side during three separate World Cups - in 1950, 1954 and 1958.
Wright had incredible physical prowess and missed only 31 games for Wolves throughout the whole of the 1950s.
In his 20-year career with Wolves and England, Wright was never once booked or sent off, which is even more incredible given that he played at centre half!
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