View source for Charlie Hurley

{{Short description|Irish footballer (1936–2024)}}
{{about|the Irish footballer|the IRA officer|Charlie Hurley (Irish republican)}}
{{multiple issues|
{{tone|date=July 2013}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2024}}
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Charlie Hurley
| image = 
| full_name = Charles John Hurley
| birth_date = {{birth date|1936|10|4|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Cork (city)|Cork]], [[County Cork]], Ireland
| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|4|22|1936|10|4|df=y}}
| death_place = Ireland
| height = 
| position = [[Centre half]]
| youthyears1 = 
| youthclubs1 = 
| years1 = 1953–1957
| clubs1 = [[Millwall F.C.|Millwall]]
| caps1 = 105
| goals1 = 2
| years2 = 1957–1969
| clubs2 = [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]]
| caps2 = 402
| goals2 = 23
| years3 = 1969–1971
| clubs3 = [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]]
| caps3 = 43
| goals3 = 3
| totalcaps = 550
| totalgoals = 28
| nationalyears1 = 1957–1969
| nationalteam1 = [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]]
| nationalcaps1 = 40
| nationalgoals1 = 2
| manageryears1 = 1972–1977
| managerclubs1 = [[Reading F.C.|Reading]]
}}

'''Charles John Hurley''' (4 October 1936 – 22 April 2024) was an Irish footballer who mainly played in the [[centre half]] position. Nicknamed 'King', Hurley was a defender for both Sunderland, where he was named as "Player of the Century" by his fans in 1979, and the [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]]. He ended his playing career at [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]] and was later manager of [[Reading F.C.|Reading]]. Hurley died on 22 April 2024, at the age of 87.<ref>{{cite news |title='The King' Charlie Hurley: 1936–2024 |url=https://safc.com/news/club-news/2024/april/safc-mourning-the-loss-of-charlie-hurley |access-date=25 April 2024 |publisher=Sunderland AFC |date=25 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Sunderland legend Hurley dies aged 87 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ck5ky98n6l8o |access-date=25 April 2024 |publisher=BBC Sport |date=25 April 2024}}</ref><ref name="SAFC Obit">{{cite web |title=Charlie Hurley |url=https://www.safc.com/news/club-news/2024/april/obituary-charlie-hurley |website=Sunderland Association Football Club |access-date=25 April 2024 |language=en |date=25 April 2024}}</ref>

==Early life==
Hurley was born in Cork, Ireland, and his family moved to in [[Essex]], England, when Charlie was seven months old. He later survived [[The Blitz]], in which one of his best friends was killed, and as a teenager worked as an apprentice toolmaker. His first offer of a football contract was from West Ham but he turned it down as he could earn more for his family by continuing with his apprenticeship. However, at the age of sixteen he did eventually accept a contract offer from Millwall.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rokerreport.com/2011/11/28/2591521/charlie-hurley-extravaganza-part-one-he-was-a-colossus-in-his-time|title=Charlie Hurley Extravaganza Part One|access-date=5 December 2011}}</ref>

==Playing career==

===Millwall===
Hurley began his football career at [[Millwall F.C.|Millwall]] in 1953, making his debut at the age of seventeen in a 2–2 draw away to [[Torquay United]] on 30 January 1954. He went on to make 16 league appearances in the season. He followed this up with 38 league games in 1954–55 and also played three [[FA Cup]] ties. At the start of 1955–56, he represented [[London XI|London]] in the first English team to play in a European competition. London beat [[Eintracht Frankfurt]] 3–2 at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley]] in the [[1955–58 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup|Fairs Cup]]. He was thus selected to play for the Republic of Ireland at aged 20, but a cruciate knee ligament injury, whilst representing the army side on his national service, ended any such plans. He recovered, but for the rest of his career he had to be particularly careful when making a sliding tackle and required constant treatment on his left knee.

On 19 May 1957, Hurley made his Irish debut against [[England national football team|England]] in Dublin.

In early October he was sold to Sunderland for a fee of £18,000. He was voted him the 'best ever player' in the Millwall fanzine The Lion Roars prior to the Dockers Day at the New Den in 2007.<ref>"Charlie Hurley, the greatest centre half the world has ever seen" by Mark Metcalf, published in 2008 by Sportsbooks</ref>

===Sunderland===
On 26 September 1957, Hurley arrived at [[Roker Park]] to begin a career that would span 12 seasons and 402 appearances.

Hurley's Sunderland career had a disastrous start; a 7–0 rout by [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]], coupled with him scoring an own goal on his debut, which was quickly followed by a 6–0 defeat by [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]]. Hurley had been unfortunate enough to have competed against centre forwards who would later go on to represent England. Eventually promotion was achieved in the 1963–64 season after two campaigns which had seen Sunderland miss out on top flight football due to consecutive last day failures against [[Swansea City A.F.C.|Swansea Town]] and [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]].

It took 124 league and cup appearances for Sunderland before he broke his scoring duck. A 1–1 Boxing Day draw in 1960 against [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]] was the first of 43.

Whilst the 1963–64 season was special for Sunderland, resulting in promotion, it was also personally highly satisfactory for Hurley, who came second to [[Bobby Moore]] in voting for [[FWA Footballer of the Year]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ryan |first=Seán |date=13 February 2007 |title=Hall of Fame for Charlie Hurley |language=en |work=[[Irish Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/hall-of-fame-for-charlie-hurley-26275491.html |access-date=2021-08-18}}</ref>

In the late sixties, alongside [[Jimmy Montgomery]], [[Cecil Irwin (footballer)|Cecil Irwin]], [[Len Ashurst]], [[Martin Harvey]] and [[Jim McNab]], Hurley formed one of the most notable and most settled back fives in Sunderland's history.

[[Alan Brown (English footballer)|Alan Brown]]'s departure from Roker Park, to take over at [[Sheffield Wednesday]] saw first [[George Hardwick]] and then Scotsman [[Ian McColl]] take over. During one match at [[Old Trafford]] in November 1966, first Hurley, and then [[Northern Ireland national football team|Northern Ireland]] defender [[John Parke]] went in goal, as Montgomery had to leave the game because of an injury sustained in the first half.

Hurley's last goal for Sunderland came against [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] in April 1968, typically a header. His last appearance in a red and white shirt was at [[Turf Moor]], [[Burnley]] in April 1969.

In the FA Cup 5th round victory at [[Carrow Road]] in February 1961, he scored the only goal to dump [[Norwich City]] out of the competition. Sunderland would then go on to succumb to a [[Danny Blanchflower]]-inspired [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] side, who became [[The Double (football)|double]] winners for the first time in the 20th century.

In a poll on the occasion of the club's centenary in 1979, Sunderland fans voted him their player of the century.<ref name=wsjune>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[World Soccer (magazine)|World Soccer]]|date=June 2024|title=Obituaries|page=22}}</ref>

===Bolton Wanderers===
On 2 June 1969, Hurley moved to Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer. He spent three years at [[Burnden Park]] and was a well-liked figure in the heart of the defence, so much so that he was given the opportunity to manage the club upon the departure of [[Jimmy Meadows]] only to reluctantly turn the chance down because his wife missed living in the South of England.

==International career==
He played 40 times for the Republic of Ireland and was their most-capped player at the time of his final appearance in 1969.<ref name=wsjune/>

==Managerial career==
{{unreferenced section|date=April 2024}}

From 1972 to 1977 Hurley managed [[Reading F.C.|Reading]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reading Manager History {{!}} Past & Present {{!}} Soccer Base |url=https://www.soccerbase.com/teams/team.sd?team_id=2125&teamTabs=managers |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=soccerbase.com}}</ref> then based at [[Elm Park (stadium)|Elm Park]]. In the 4th round of the FA Cup in February 1972 he guided Reading, then a [[Football League Fourth Division|4th division]] club, to a 4th-round meeting with Arsenal. Over 20,000 people packed into Elm Park, and Hurley's charges narrowly lost 2–1 to a side containing [[George Graham (footballer, born 1944)|George Graham]], [[Charlie George]], [[George Armstrong (footballer)|Geordie Armstrong]], [[Bob Wilson (footballer, born 1941)|Bob Wilson]], [[Frank McLintock]] and other international-class players. Reading finished the season in sixteenth place in Division 4. During the 1972–73 season Hurley enjoyed an emotional 'home coming' when took his side to face Sunderland at Roker Park in the fourth round of the FA Cup. After a 1–1 draw, Sunderland won the replay 3–1. The following spring the Reading manager took a gamble by purchasing [[Robin Friday]] from non-league [[Hayes F.C.|Hayes]] In 1975–76 Reading won promotion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Story of Reading Football Club |url=https://readingfc.co.uk//history/our-story |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=Reading FC}}</ref> Hurley quit on 26 February 1977. This was an historic moment as it was the first time a Football League manager had resigned at half time.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

Charlie Hurley – "the greatest centre half the world has ever seen" by Mark Metcalf, published by Sportsbooks in 2008.

==External links==
*[http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player/charliehurley.html Charlie Hurley], Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database

{{Millwall F.C. Hall of Fame}}
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{{Republic of Ireland national football team managers}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurley, Charlie}}
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:Republic of Ireland men's association footballers]]
[[Category:Association footballers from Cork (city)]]
[[Category:Men's association football central defenders]]
[[Category:Republic of Ireland men's international footballers]]
[[Category:London XI players]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:Millwall F.C. players]]
[[Category:Sunderland A.F.C. players]]
[[Category:Bolton Wanderers F.C. players]]
[[Category:Republic of Ireland association football managers]]
[[Category:Republic of Ireland national football team managers]]
[[Category:Reading F.C. managers]]
[[Category:20th-century Irish sportsmen]]