Joe Bacuzzi
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe Luigi David Bacuzzi (September 25, 1916 – 1 February 1995), commonly referred to as Joe Bacuzzi, was an English footballer
and coach who spent most of his career at Fulham
. In November 1945, however, he guested for both Chelsea
and Arsenal
in their prestige friendlies against a touring FC Dynamo Moscow
. As an international he also played for England
during the Second World War.
Bacuzzi was born in Clerkenwell
, London
, England
into an Anglo-Italian family that had settled in London
. His father, Camillo, came from Sorisole
(Bergamo
), her mother, Natalina Clerici, from Precotto, a neighbourhood of Milan
. His son, Dave Bacuzzi
, was also a notable footballer, playing as a defender for both Arsenal
and Manchester City
. Bacuzzi Sr. lived in the Clerkenwell
area until he died, aged 78 in 1995.
. However he failed to impress the Gunners and was subsequently signed as an amateur by Fulham
in 1935. He turned professional in 1936 and in January 1937 he made his first team debut for Fulham, playing as a right-back
, in a 4-1 defeat away to Chesterfield
. However he only made one other senior appearance that season, playing as a left-back against Barnsley
. Bacuzzi scored just two goals during his career and he netted his first during the 1938-39 season when Fulham defeated Luton Town
4-1. He was an ever-present during the same season and went onto to make 70 appearances for the club before the start of the Second World War.
During the war Bacuzzi made 104 appearances for Fulham in regional leagues. He was also an active guest player and made a further 14 league appearances for several other clubs, most notably Bury
and Notts County
. Between 1943 and 1944 he also served with the military in North Africa
and Italy
. His most notable guest appearances came in November 1945 when Bacuzzi played for both Chelsea
and Arsenal
in their prestige friendlies against a touring FC Dynamo Moscow
. On November 13 at Stamford Bridge
he helped Chelsea hold Dynamo to a 3-3 draw. Then on November 21 at White Hart Lane
, together with Stanley Matthews
and Stan Mortensen
, he was a member of an Arsenal XI that lost 4-3 to Dynamo.
After the war Bacuzzi remained Fulham’s first choice right-back and he continued playing until he was almost 40, taking his total of league and cup appearances for the club to 299. He only retired when a terrible knee injury ended his playing career at the end of the 1955-56 season. In August 1949 he scored his second goal for the club with a fortunate shot against Wolves
. It was also the club’s first ever goal in the First Division
. While still playing, Bacuzzi also seems to have acted as an impromptu scout for the club and was responsible for discovering Bedford Jezzard
.
. He made his international debut on November 11, 1939 against Wales
in a 1-1 draw at Ninian Park
. This game saw England use a substitute for the first time after Bacuzzi was injured. On February 2, 1941 at St James' Park
during his third international he scored an own goal
when a misplaced back header gave Scotland
a 3-2 win. After helping England defeat Wales 5-3 at Wembley Stadium on February 27, 1943, he had to wait for over three years before he made his next and final appearance. He made his last appearance for England on May 19, 1946 in a 2-1 defeat against France
, in a Victory International at the Stade Olympique
. Bacuzzi’s team mates during his international career included, among others, Stanley Matthews
, Joe Mercer
and Tommy Lawton
.
trainer at Fulham
and stayed in that post until 1965 when he was sacked by Vic Buckingham
.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and coach who spent most of his career at Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
. In November 1945, however, he guested for both Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
and Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in their prestige friendlies against a touring FC Dynamo Moscow
FC Dynamo Moscow
Dynamo Moscow is a Russian football club based in Moscow, currently playing in the Russian Premier League. Dynamo's traditional kit colours are blue and white...
. As an international he also played for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
during the Second World War.
Bacuzzi was born in Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
into an Anglo-Italian family that had settled in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. His father, Camillo, came from Sorisole
Sorisole
Sorisole is a comune in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about 50 km northeast of Milan and about 4 km north of Bergamo...
(Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
), her mother, Natalina Clerici, from Precotto, a neighbourhood of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. His son, Dave Bacuzzi
Dave Bacuzzi
David Reno Bacuzzi , commonly referred to as Dave Bacuzzi is a former English footballer and manager who played for Arsenal, Manchester City and Reading. He also represented England as a youth international...
, was also a notable footballer, playing as a defender for both Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
. Bacuzzi Sr. lived in the Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
area until he died, aged 78 in 1995.
Club career
Bacuzzi began his career with Tufnell Park before having trials with ArsenalArsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. However he failed to impress the Gunners and was subsequently signed as an amateur by Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
in 1935. He turned professional in 1936 and in January 1937 he made his first team debut for Fulham, playing as a right-back
Football (soccer) positions
In the sport of association football, each of the eleven players on a team is assigned to a particular position on the field of play. A team is made up of one goalkeeper and ten outfield players who fill various defensive, midfield and attacking positions depending on the formation deployed. These...
, in a 4-1 defeat away to Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
. However he only made one other senior appearance that season, playing as a left-back against Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
. Bacuzzi scored just two goals during his career and he netted his first during the 1938-39 season when Fulham defeated Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
4-1. He was an ever-present during the same season and went onto to make 70 appearances for the club before the start of the Second World War.
During the war Bacuzzi made 104 appearances for Fulham in regional leagues. He was also an active guest player and made a further 14 league appearances for several other clubs, most notably Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
and Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
. Between 1943 and 1944 he also served with the military in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. His most notable guest appearances came in November 1945 when Bacuzzi played for both Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
and Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in their prestige friendlies against a touring FC Dynamo Moscow
FC Dynamo Moscow
Dynamo Moscow is a Russian football club based in Moscow, currently playing in the Russian Premier League. Dynamo's traditional kit colours are blue and white...
. On November 13 at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
he helped Chelsea hold Dynamo to a 3-3 draw. Then on November 21 at White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
, together with Stanley Matthews
Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'...
and Stan Mortensen
Stan Mortensen
Stanley Harding "Stan" Mortensen was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final , in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup Final...
, he was a member of an Arsenal XI that lost 4-3 to Dynamo.
After the war Bacuzzi remained Fulham’s first choice right-back and he continued playing until he was almost 40, taking his total of league and cup appearances for the club to 299. He only retired when a terrible knee injury ended his playing career at the end of the 1955-56 season. In August 1949 he scored his second goal for the club with a fortunate shot against Wolves
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
. It was also the club’s first ever goal in the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
. While still playing, Bacuzzi also seems to have acted as an impromptu scout for the club and was responsible for discovering Bedford Jezzard
Bedford Jezzard
Bedford Alfred George Jezzard, , was a football player. Jezzard's teenage years coincided with the Second World War, and he began football as an amateur with Croxley Boys and later Watford, for whom he made three FA Cup appearances...
.
England international
Between 1939 and 1946 Bacuzzi played 13 times for EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
. He made his international debut on November 11, 1939 against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
in a 1-1 draw at Ninian Park
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
. This game saw England use a substitute for the first time after Bacuzzi was injured. On February 2, 1941 at St James' Park
St James' Park
St James' Park, known for sponsorship reasons as the Sports Direct Arena, is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United Football Club and is the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of between 52,387 and 52,409.St James'...
during his third international he scored an own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....
when a misplaced back header gave Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
a 3-2 win. After helping England defeat Wales 5-3 at Wembley Stadium on February 27, 1943, he had to wait for over three years before he made his next and final appearance. He made his last appearance for England on May 19, 1946 in a 2-1 defeat against France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, in a Victory International at the Stade Olympique
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
The Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir - stadium in Colombes, near Paris, France . Named in memory of French rugby player Yves du Manoir in 1928. Was the main stadium for the 1924 Summer Olympics and had a capacity of 45,000 at the time...
. Bacuzzi’s team mates during his international career included, among others, Stanley Matthews
Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'...
, Joe Mercer
Joe Mercer
Joseph 'Joe' Mercer, OBE was an English football player and manager.-Playing career:Mercer was born in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, the son of a former Nottingham Forest and Tranmere Rovers footballer, also named Joe. Joe Mercer senior died, following health problems resulting from a gas attack...
and Tommy Lawton
Tommy Lawton
Thomas "Tommy" Lawton was an English association footballer who rose to fame a short time before the outbreak of the Second World War and enjoyed a successful career which lasted until well into the 1950s....
.
Coaching career
After retiring as a player in 1956 he was appointed reserve teamReserve team
Large professional sports clubs often have far more players under contract than could possibly play in a match. As a result, many of these clubs create second teams composed of players who need playing time, but have little hope of playing on the first team. The players on this second team are...
trainer at Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
and stayed in that post until 1965 when he was sacked by Vic Buckingham
Vic Buckingham
Victor Frederick Buckingham was an English footballer whose approach as a manager was a precursor of the Total Football philosophy....
.
Honours
Fulham- Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
- Winners 1948-49: 1
External links
Sources
- Soccer at War – 1939 - 45 (2005): Jack Rollin http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/075531431X
- Maine Road Favourites – Where Are They Now ? (2006): Ian Penney with Fred Eyre http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maine-Road-Favourites-Where-They/dp/0750944102