Harry Hooper (footballer, born 1933)

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Harry Hooper

| image = File:Harry Hooper footballer.jpeg

| fullname = Harold Hooper

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1933|6|14|df=y}}

| birth_place = Pittington, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|8|26|1933|6|14|df=y}}

| death_place = Hunstanton, Norfolk, England{{Cite web|url=https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2020/august/28-august/harry-hooper-1933-2020|title=Harry Hooper 1933-2020 | West Ham United|website=www.whufc.com}}

| position = Outside forward

| youthyears1 = 194?–1950 | youthclubs1 = Hylton Colliery Juniors

| years1 = 1950–1956 | clubs1 = West Ham United | caps1 = 119 | goals1 = 39

| years2 = 1956–1957 | clubs2 = Wolverhampton Wanderers | caps2 = 39 | goals2 = 19

| years3 = 1957–1960 | clubs3 = Birmingham City | caps3 = 105 | goals3 = 34

| years4 = 1960–1963 | clubs4 = Sunderland | caps4 = 65 | goals4 = 16

| years5 = 1963–1965 | clubs5 = Kettering Town | caps5 = 68 | goals5 = 17

| years6 = 1965–1967 | clubs6 = Dunstable Town

| years7 = 1967–1968 | clubs7 = Heanor Town

| nationalyears1 = 1954–1957 | nationalteam1 = England B

| nationalcaps1 = 6 | nationalgoals1 = 2

| nationalyears2 = 1955 | nationalteam2 = England under-23

| nationalcaps2 = 2 | nationalgoals2 = 2

}}

Harold Hooper (14 June 1933 – 26 August 2020) was an English footballer who played as an outside forward. He made more than 300 appearances in the Football League, and represented England at under-23 and 'B' international level.

Life and career

Hooper was born in Pittington, County Durham.{{Hugman|9317|accessdate=24 May 2018}} He played football for Hylton Colliery Juniors and for the Durham youth side{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000640/19491017/190/0012 |title=Durham juniors for Stockton game |newspaper=Sunderland Daily Echo |date=17 October 1949 |page=12 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }} before joining West Ham United in November 1950 when his father, also named Harry Hooper, was appointed assistant trainer at the club.{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000704/19501106/165/0006 |title=Hardwick move fixed |newspaper=Sheffield Daily Telegraph |date=6 November 1950 |page=6 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |quote=Harry Hooper, former Sheffield United back who is at present coach and second team trainer to Hartlepools United, has been appointed assistant trainer by West Ham United.}} He played for the reserve team in the London Combination before making his debut in the Football League on 3 February 1951, at the age of 17 years 7 months, at home to Barnsley in the Second Division. West Ham won 4–2, and Hooper himself came close to scoring eight minutes from time, when "Barnsley's Pat Kelly had to stretch like elastic to push Harry's 25-yard drive over the bar".{{cite news |title=Soccer stars on parade. Roar for Hooper |newspaper=Daily Express |location=London |date=5 February 1951 |page=6}}{{cite web |url=http://www.westhamstats.info/westham.php?west=2&ham=331&united=Harry_Hooper |title=Harry Hooper |website=westhamstats.info |accessdate=25 May 2018}}

The 1954–55 season saw Hooper make 41 league appearances for West Ham, one short of being an ever-present. This included a game against Leeds United on the afternoon of his wedding. He was made captain for the day and West Ham won the game 2–1.{{Cite web | title = Tying Knots & Laces | first = Roger | last = Hillier | website = theyflysohigh.co.uk | accessdate = 25 May 2018 | url = http://theyflysohigh.co.uk/tying-knots-laces/4587924767}} He played a total of 119 league games for the club, scoring 39 goals.

Hooper, an England under-23 and England 'B' international, was named as a reserve for the 1954 FIFA World Cup squad but did not travel, and never won a full international cap.{{Cite web | title = England in the World Cup - 1954 Final Squad | last = Young | first = Peter | work = englandfootballonline.com | date = 1 January 2018 | accessdate = 24 May 2018 | url = http://www.englandfootballonline.com/CmpWC/CmpWC1954Squad.html}} He represented the Football League in games against the Irish League in 1954, and the Scottish League in 1955.{{Cite book|last=Hogg |first=Tony |title=Who's Who of West Ham United |date=2005 |publisher=Profile Sports Media| isbn= 1-903135-50-8 |page=101}} He also played for the London XI in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup group stage game against the Basel XI on 4 June 1955, a 5–0 victory.{{efn|Some sources give the final goal to Hooper,{{cite book| title=EC 1 & Fairs Cup 1595-1960| pages=158–171| publisher=International Federation of Football History & Statistics}}{{Cite web | title = Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1955-58 (game details) | first = Santiago | last = Velasco | work = linguasport.com | accessdate = 25 May 2018 | url = http://www.linguasport.com/futbol/internacional/clubes/c3/C3_58gd.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090210123950/http://linguasport.com/futbol/internacional/clubes/c3/C3_58gd.htm| url-status = usurped| archive-date = 10 February 2009}} while others attribute this to Eddie Firmani.{{Cite web | title = Fairs' Cup 1955-58 | first1 = Anthony | last1 = Zea | first2 = Marcel | last2 = Haisma | publisher = Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation | date = 2 October 2009 | accessdate = 25 May 2018 | url = https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec195758det.html}}{{cite book| url=https://annuari.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/almanacco-1958.doc| title=Almanacco Totale del Calcio Europeo 1958| pages=31–32| accessdate=25 May 2018}}}}

Hooper moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers for £25,000 on 22 March 1956.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000681/19560323/009/0001 |title=Big Soccer Deals |newspaper=Daily Herald |date=23 March 1956 |page=27 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }} He scored 19 goals in 39 league matches for Wolves, before his departure in December 1957.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000653/19571207/078/0004 |title=Wolves Make Youngsters |newspaper=Sports Argus |date=7 December 1957 |page=4 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }} He then joined Birmingham City for a fee of around £20,000, spending nearly three years at the club and winning a runners-up medal in the 1960 Fairs Cup.{{Cite book |first=Tony |last=Matthews |title=Birmingham City: A Complete Record |date=1995 |publisher=Breedon Books |location=Derby |isbn=978-1-85983-010-9 |page=98}} He scored five times in the competition, including a consolation goal in the 4–1 loss to Barcelona in the Final.{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec195960det.html |title=Fairs' Cup 1958–60 |last1=Zea |first1=Antonio |last2=Haisma |first2=Marcel |publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|date=14 April 2016 |accessdate=25 May 2018}}

In 1960, Hooper returned to the north-east, joining Sunderland for a fee of £18,000. He went on to play non-league football with Kettering Town, Dunstable Town and Heanor Town before retiring.

Hooper died on 26 August 2020 after a long battle with Alzheimer's.{{cite web |url=https://www.westhamtillidie.com/posts/2020/08/28/harry-hooper-1933-2020 |title=Harry Hooper 1933–2020|website=westhamtillidie.com|date=28 August 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.wolvesheroes.com/2020/08/29/another-sad-loss/|title=Another sad loss|website=wolvesheroes.com|date=29 August 2020|access-date=30 August 2020|archive-date=2 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002221911/https://www.wolvesheroes.com/2020/08/29/another-sad-loss/|url-status=dead}}

Notes

References

External links

{{NeilBrownPlayers|player/harryhooper}}
[http://www.westhamstats.info/westham.php?west=2&ham=331&united=Harry_Hooper West Ham profile] at westhamstats.info
[http://www.thestatcat.co.uk/webroot/Player.aspx?PlayerID=457 Sunderland profile] at thestatcat.co.uk

Category:1933 births

Category:2020 deaths

Category:Footballers from County Durham

Category:English men's footballers

Category:England men's under-23 international footballers

Category:England men's B international footballers

Category:Men's association football wingers

Category:Hylton Colliery Welfare F.C. players

Category:West Ham United F.C. players

Category:Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players

Category:Birmingham City F.C. players

Category:Sunderland A.F.C. players