Charles Hurley - TheSportsDB.com

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Name
Charles Hurley
(Charlie Hurley)

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Born
1936 (88 years old)

Birth Place

Cork, Ireland

Position
Centre-Back

Status

Ethnicity
White

Team Number

Height

Outfitter

Kit

Side

Agent

Wage Year

Player Cutout

Full Body Render

Sport

Soccer

Team
_Retired Soccer

2nd Team

League
_No League Soccer

Creative Commons Artwork
No

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Charles John Hurley (born 4 October 1936) is an Irish former footballer who played mainly in the centre-half position. Hurley is best known for his long career at Sunderland, where he was named the Black Cats' "Player of the Century" by their fans on the occasion of the club's centenary in 1979. Nicknamed ' King', Hurley was a defender for both Sunderland and the Republic of Ireland. He ended his playing career at Bolton Wanderers and was later manager of Reading.

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.

From 1972 to 1977 Charlie managed Reading F.C., then based at Elm Park. One of his greatest moments was in the 4th round of the F.A. Cup in February 1972, when he guided Reading, then a 4th division outfit to a 4th-round meeting with the great double-winning Arsenal side. Over 20,000 people packed into Elm Park, and Charlie's charges narrowly lost 2–1 to a side containing George Graham, Charlie George, Geordie Armstrong, 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. Friday should have been playing in the top flight, but his temperament, drinking and smoking were a major handicap. Hurley was the only man to ever get the best out of Friday and in 1975–76 Reading won promotion, with Friday often playing brilliantly. The star of the Reading side was determined to move on, and Hurley allowed him to move to Cardiff for £30,000 before the start of the season, where he faded away and was eventually lost to the game. He died of a heart attack at just 38. Reading struggled without their best player, and, as they plummeted back to the lower flight, Hurley quit on 26 February 1977.