From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Billy Wright
Personal information
Full name	William Ambrose Wright
Date of birth	6 February 1924(1924-02-06)
Place of birth	Ironbridge, Shropshire, England
Date of death	September 3, 1994 (aged 70)
Place of death	London, England
Playing position	Centre half
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1939-1959	Wolverhampton Wanderers	490 0(13)
National team
1946-1959	England	105 00(3)
Teams managed
1962-1966	Arsenal
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Billy Wright, CBE (6 February 1924 – 3 September 1994) was an English footballer for Wolverhampton Wanderers. A statue of him stands by their stadium in his memory.

Born William Ambrose Wright in Ironbridge, Shropshire, he played in the wing-half and other defensive positions. Wright was the first ever player to represent his country a hundred times. He captained England during their campaigns at the 1950, 1954 and 1958 World Cup finals.

His association with Wolves began in 1934 when he was taken on as a member of their ground staff. He was only 14 years old when he made his debut for Wolves in a B team game against Walsall Wood in the Walsall Minor League after being accepted on an eight month trial by Major Frank Buckley. He made his first team debut for the club aged just 15 in a 2-1 win at Notts County in 1939.

He signed as a professional at 17, but the deepening effects of World War II soon forced Wolves to suspend competitive football. Wright turned out as a guest for Leicester City, playing as both a forward and a defender before he returned to Molineux in 1942. He joined the army in 1943 as a Physical Training Instructor, playing for Wolves whenever possible, making over 100 appearances in wartime football.

He became club captain soon after the end of the conflict, with the playing retirement of Stan Cullis. With Wright leading the team, they won the First Division title three times (1954, 1958 and 1959) as well as the FA Cup in 1949. He was a virtual ever-present, missing only 31 games for Wolves during the 1950s.

His performances for club, saw him earn a call-up to the England team. He made his international debut on January 19, 1946 in a 2-0 win over Belgium in a 'Victory International' (wartime). His full debut came on September 28, 1946 in a thumping 7-2 win in Northern Ireland. He was made captain in 1948, a role he held for 90 games until his retirement (an all time record shared with Bobby Moore). In total, he made 105 full international appearances (70 consecutive), scoring 3 times.

He retired as a player in August 1959 and was awarded the CBE for services to football soon after. During his total of 541 appearances for Wolves and his 105 games for England, his disciplinary record was second to none — he was never cautioned or sent off by any referee.

Wright became a minor media personality, and his marriage to Joy Beverley of the Beverley Sisters (at a time long before the era of footballers being known for having celebrity girlfriends) was one of the most successful showbiz marriages.

He became manager of England's youth team in 1960 before becoming manager of Arsenal in 1962. However, he was unable to bring any success to the club; Arsenal never finished higher than seventh under Wright, and after a poor 1965–66 season — where Arsenal finished 14th and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Blackburn Rovers (who finished bottom of the First Division) — Wright was dismissed.

He left management and later became a television pundit and Head of Sport for ATV and Central Television, before retiring in 1989. However, the following year, he joined the Board of Directors at Wolverhampton Wanderers as part of the takeover by Sir Jack Hayward.

Wright was made an inaugural inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 in recognition of his impact on the English game. He was named the Midlands' greatest footballer by BBC Midlands Today following a public vote in May 2007.

He died from stomach cancer in 1994, aged 70.

• Official Wolves site profile
• Unofficial Wolves website — a tribute to Billy Wright
• The National Football Museum: Hall of Fame — Billy Wright
• BBC Tribute to Billy Wright

v • d • e England squad - 1950 FIFA World Cup
DF Aston • MF Baily • FW Bentley • MF Cockburn • MF Dickinson • GK Ditchburn • DF Eckersley • FW Finney • MF Hughes • FW Mannion • FW Matthews • FW Milburn • FW Mortensen • FW Mullen • MF Nicholson • DF Ramsey • DF Scott • DF Taylor • MF Watson • GK Williams • DF Wright • Coach: Winterbottom

v • d • e England squad - 1954 FIFA World Cup
1 Merrick • 2 Staniforth • 3 Byrne • 4 Wright • 5 Owen • 6 Dickinson • 7 Matthews • 8 Broadis • 9 Lofthouse • 10 Taylor • 11 Finney • 12 Burgin • 13 Green • 14 McGarry • 15 Wilshaw • 16 Quixall • 17 Mullen • 18 Chilton • 19 Armstrong • 20 Jezzard • 21 Haynes • 22 Hooper • Coach: Winterbottom

v • d • e England squad - 1958 FIFA World Cup
1 McDonald • 2 Howe • 3 Banks • 4 Clamp • 5 Wright • 6 Slater • 7 Douglas • 8 Robson • 9 Kevan • 10 Haynes • 11 Finney • 12 Hopkinson • 13 Hodgkinson • 14 Sillett • 15 Clayton • 16 Norman • 17 Brabrook • 18 Broadbent • 19 Smith • 20 Charlton • 21 A'Court • 22 Setters • Coach: Winterbottom