Teddy Davison
Encyclopedia
Teddy Davison was an English
footballer and manager who had a long and successful association with the football clubs of Sheffield
, playing for Sheffield Wednesday
for 18 years and later managing Sheffield United
for 20 years. His fairness and diplomacy earned him the nicknames of "The George Washington
of Sheffield football" and "Honest Ted". Davison played as a goalkeeper in a career, which lasted between 1908 and 1926, he made 424 appearances in all competitions for Sheffield Wednesday (his only league club). Davison was only 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) tall, very small for a goalkeeper but he made up for this with lightning reflexes and top class anticipation. He has gone down in football records as the smallest goalkeeper ever to play for England
, making just one appearance for the national team in March 1922.
, Tyne and Wear
, the seventh of nine children. On leaving school he worked as a typesetter
for a Newcastle
newspaper and played football for Gateshead Town
where he was spotted by Sheffield Wednesday’s assistant manager Robert Brown
who invited him to Hillsborough
for a trial. Davison impressed in the trial, saving a penalty in a practice match and was signed in April 1908 as understudy to long standing Wednesday keeper Jack Lyall for a fee of £300.
and Davison became first choice keeper for the 1909–10 season. Davison was to remain first choice for the next 12 seasons, a remarkable achievement bearing in mind that he lost four years of his career to World War I
when official football was suspended. Throughout his career Davison kept a record of every match he played in, this showed he played in 618 games, conceding 810 goals, it also revealed he was a specialist at keeping out penalties, saving 24 out of 77 faced.
Davison volunteered for the army during World War I and was sent to France in July 1916, serving with the Royal Field Artillery
for the rest of the war. He did make two wartime appearances for Wednesday when he was home on leave. He returned safely from the war to make 20 appearances in the 1919–20 season as Wednesday were relegated from Division One
, sharing goalkeeping duties with Arnold Birch
. Davison became first choice keeper again the following season.
He was called up to the England team to face Wales
on 13 March 1922 in the British Home Championship
at Anfield
and kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 win. He was also picked eight times for Sheffield’s representative side and toured Australia
with the FA
in 1925. Davison remained first choice keeper until the 1924–25 season when Jack Brown
threatened and eventually took over his place in the team. The 38 year old Davison failed to make an appearance in Wednesday’s Division Two
championship winning side in 1925–26 and his days at Hillsborough were coming to an end.
who at that time were a non-league
side playing in the Midland League
. In his first season in charge Mansfield had a good season winning the Notts Senior Cup, he impressed as a manager with the way he went about his business and getting the team to play attacking football. He continued playing until January 1927 when a broken rib in a game against Newark Town
forced him to end his playing career. Davidson’s management style had impressed near neighbours Chesterfield
and when they were looking for a replacement for Alec Campbell
they did not bother to advertise but went straight for Davison.
. An improvement in results followed culminating in winning the Third Division North
championship in 1930–31 with the team securing the championship on the last day of the season, scoring eight goals against Gateshead, Davison’s home town club. Davison consolidated Chesterfield’s position in Division Two the following season continuing to bring in experienced players such as ex England international George Ashmore
, he also established a scouting network in his native north east to bring in young players. Davison had become one of the most talented and well organised managers around and it was no surprise when he was offered the newly created position of secretary/manager at Sheffield United in June 1932 as a replacement for the legendary John Nicholson who had been killed in a traffic accident earlier in the year after being Blades secretary for 33 years.
on a free transfer from Lincoln City
. United reached the 1936 FA Cup Final
losing to Arsenal
1–0, the cup run probably cost the team promotion as they finished three points behind runners up Charlton Athletic
. United eventually returned to Division One in the last full season before World War II
finishing runners up and denying rivals Wednesday by one point. That 1938-39 season is notable for Davison as he made the purchase of Jimmy Hagan
for £2,500 in November 1938, probably his best ever signing.
Davison remained in charge at Bramall Lane
throughout the war years, with the team winning the Football League North
in 1945–46. The return to peace time football saw United relegated from Division One in 1948-49 and then denied an immediate return the following season by city rivals Wednesday on goal average. Two mid table finishes and a failure to get a quick return to Division One saw Davison resign as United manager in August 1952.
. Davison once again tried his formula of signing experienced players, with Dennis Westcott
and Cyril Hatton
arriving at Saltergate amongst others. He had to endure severe financial constraints with the club only being able to afford 14 full time professionals. Despite this the team challenged for promotion, finishing sixth in Division Three North four seasons in succession. Davison’s youth policy also saw fruition when the youth team reached the final of the FA Youth Cup
in 1956 with future World Cup
winner Gordon Banks
one of the stars. He was asked to manage the Third Division North side
against the South in April 1957. Davison stepped down as Chesterfield manager in May 1958, at the age of 71, however he did continue to do some scouting for the club.
After finally retiring, Teddy spent his latter years in Sheffield, passing away in February 1971 at the age of 83. His legacy is that he probably made the biggest individual impact on Sheffield football of any person in history.
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...
footballer and manager who had a long and successful association with the football clubs of Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, playing for Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
for 18 years and later managing Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
for 20 years. His fairness and diplomacy earned him the nicknames of "The George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
of Sheffield football" and "Honest Ted". Davison played as a goalkeeper in a career, which lasted between 1908 and 1926, he made 424 appearances in all competitions for Sheffield Wednesday (his only league club). Davison was only 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) tall, very small for a goalkeeper but he made up for this with lightning reflexes and top class anticipation. He has gone down in football records as the smallest goalkeeper ever to play 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...
, making just one appearance for the national team in March 1922.
Playing career
Davison was born in GatesheadGateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, the seventh of nine children. On leaving school he worked as a typesetter
Typesetting
Typesetting is the composition of text by means of types.Typesetting requires the prior process of designing a font and storing it in some manner...
for a Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
newspaper and played football for Gateshead Town
Gateshead F.C.
Gateshead Football Club are a professional Association football club, based in Gateshead, England. They currently play in the Conference National, the fifth level of the English football league system.Ian Bogie is the current manager....
where he was spotted by Sheffield Wednesday’s assistant manager Robert Brown
Robert Brown (football manager)
Robert Brown was an English association football player and manager in the early twentieth century.After an undistinguished career in semi-professional football in his native north-east England, Brown joined Sheffield Wednesday as a scout. In 1911 he joined Portsmouth as secretary, a job he held...
who invited him to Hillsborough
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...
for a trial. Davison impressed in the trial, saving a penalty in a practice match and was signed in April 1908 as understudy to long standing Wednesday keeper Jack Lyall for a fee of £300.
Sheffield Wednesday
The 21 year old Davison made his Wednesday debut on 10 October 1908, however he only made eight appearances in that first season, being unable to dislodge Lyall. The summer of 1909 saw Lyall leave for Manchester CityManchester 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...
and Davison became first choice keeper for the 1909–10 season. Davison was to remain first choice for the next 12 seasons, a remarkable achievement bearing in mind that he lost four years of his career to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
when official football was suspended. Throughout his career Davison kept a record of every match he played in, this showed he played in 618 games, conceding 810 goals, it also revealed he was a specialist at keeping out penalties, saving 24 out of 77 faced.
Davison volunteered for the army during World War I and was sent to France in July 1916, serving with the Royal Field Artillery
Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
for the rest of the war. He did make two wartime appearances for Wednesday when he was home on leave. He returned safely from the war to make 20 appearances in the 1919–20 season as Wednesday were relegated from Division One
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....
, sharing goalkeeping duties with Arnold Birch
Arnold Birch
Arnold Birch was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.-World War I:Birch worked at Newton, Chambers & Company's Tankersley mine until it closed in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I. He voluntarily joined the 1st Royal Naval Brigade...
. Davison became first choice keeper again the following season.
He was called up to the England team to face 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...
on 13 March 1922 in the British Home Championship
1922 British Home Championship
The 1922 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1921–22 season between the British Home Nations. Scotland were victorious as part of a string of seven victories during the 1920s...
at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
and kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 win. He was also picked eight times for Sheffield’s representative side and toured Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with the FA
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
in 1925. Davison remained first choice keeper until the 1924–25 season when Jack Brown
Jack Brown (footballer)
John Henry "Jack" Brown was an English football goalkeeper who played almost all his professional career with Sheffield Wednesday before moving to play briefly for Hartlepool United. Brown’s career lasted from 1923 to 1937 during which time he made 466 League appearances...
threatened and eventually took over his place in the team. The 38 year old Davison failed to make an appearance in Wednesday’s Division Two
Football League Second Division
From 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...
championship winning side in 1925–26 and his days at Hillsborough were coming to an end.
Mansfield Town
In June 1926 he accepted the offer to become player/manager/secretary of Mansfield TownMansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
who at that time were a non-league
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
side playing in the Midland League
Midland Football League
There have been at least two different football competitions in England which used the name Midland Football League.One existed until 1982 before merging with the Yorkshire League to form the Northern Counties League....
. In his first season in charge Mansfield had a good season winning the Notts Senior Cup, he impressed as a manager with the way he went about his business and getting the team to play attacking football. He continued playing until January 1927 when a broken rib in a game against Newark Town
Newark Town F.C.
Newark Town Football Club is a football club that plays its home games at the Station Road ground in the village of Collingham, near Newark-on-Trent, England....
forced him to end his playing career. Davidson’s management style had impressed near neighbours 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...
and when they were looking for a replacement for Alec Campbell
Alec Campbell (footballer)
Alistair Kenyon Campbell was a professional footballer who played nearly 200 games for Southampton in the first quarter of the twentieth century, before briefly becoming manager at Chesterfield....
they did not bother to advertise but went straight for Davison.
Chesterfield
Davison was appointed Chesterfield manager on 2 January 1928 at a wage of £6 a week. He immediately reorganised the club making clear divisions between the administrative and playing sides and bringing in experienced players such as Sid BinksSid Binks
Sidney "Sid" Binks was a professional footballer who played for Bishop Auckland F.C., Spennymoor United, Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield Town, Blackpool, Portsmouth, Southend United, Fulham, Chesterfield before returning to Sheffield Wednesday.-External links:*...
. An improvement in results followed culminating in winning the Third Division North
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
championship in 1930–31 with the team securing the championship on the last day of the season, scoring eight goals against Gateshead, Davison’s home town club. Davison consolidated Chesterfield’s position in Division Two the following season continuing to bring in experienced players such as ex England international George Ashmore
George Ashmore
George Samuel Austin Ashmore was an English football player who played for West Bromwich Albion and Chesterfield, as well as the England national team.-Career:...
, he also established a scouting network in his native north east to bring in young players. Davison had become one of the most talented and well organised managers around and it was no surprise when he was offered the newly created position of secretary/manager at Sheffield United in June 1932 as a replacement for the legendary John Nicholson who had been killed in a traffic accident earlier in the year after being Blades secretary for 33 years.
Sheffield United
Davison’s first season at United saw them finish a respectable 10th in Division One, but the next season (1933-34) was a disaster as United were relegated for the first time in their history. The following season had The Blades in a mid table finishing position in Division Two although Davison had made the excellent signing of Jock DoddsJock Dodds
Ephraim "Jock" Dodds was a Scottish professional football player. He played in the 1936 FA Cup Final, and, at the time of his death, he was the oldest surviving player to have played in a final at Wembley Stadium....
on a free transfer from Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
. United reached the 1936 FA Cup Final
1936 FA Cup Final
The 1936 FA Cup Final was a football match between by Arsenal and Sheffield United on 25 April 1936 at Wembley. The showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup , it was the 64th Cup final, and the fourteenth at Wembley.Each team received a...
losing to 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...
1–0, the cup run probably cost the team promotion as they finished three points behind runners up Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
. United eventually returned to Division One in the last full season before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
finishing runners up and denying rivals Wednesday by one point. That 1938-39 season is notable for Davison as he made the purchase of Jimmy Hagan
Jimmy Hagan
James Hagan was an English football player and manager born in Washington, County Durham, England. He played between 1938 and 1958 for Sheffield United and once for England. As manager he had his greatest successes with S.L...
for £2,500 in November 1938, probably his best ever signing.
Davison remained in charge at Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...
throughout the war years, with the team winning the Football League North
Football League North and South
The Football League North and Football League South divisions of the Football League were created for the League to continue while limiting the amount of movement that was required by teams. The Leagues started in 1941; however, the leagues only had one full season, in 1945-46...
in 1945–46. The return to peace time football saw United relegated from Division One in 1948-49 and then denied an immediate return the following season by city rivals Wednesday on goal average. Two mid table finishes and a failure to get a quick return to Division One saw Davison resign as United manager in August 1952.
Return to Chesterfield
Davison was not out of a job for long as he was immediately offered his old job as manager of Chesterfield who had just parted company with Bobby MarshallBobby Marshall (footballer)
Robert Samuel Marshall was a professional footballer who played for Sunderland, Manchester City and Stockport County....
. Davison once again tried his formula of signing experienced players, with Dennis Westcott
Dennis Westcott
Dennis Westcott was an English footballer, who played for New Brighton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City and Chesterfield as a striker....
and Cyril Hatton
Cyril Hatton
Cyril Hatton was a footballer with QPR.He signed in 1946 from Notts County and made his debut in a 2-1 win against Watford in August 1946. He played inside-left and went on to play 162 league games for Rangers scoring 64 league goals...
arriving at Saltergate amongst others. He had to endure severe financial constraints with the club only being able to afford 14 full time professionals. Despite this the team challenged for promotion, finishing sixth in Division Three North four seasons in succession. Davison’s youth policy also saw fruition when the youth team reached the final of the FA Youth Cup
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...
in 1956 with future World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
winner Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks, OBE is a retired English football goalkeeper. The IFFHS named Banks the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century – after Lev Yashin and ahead of Dino Zoff ....
one of the stars. He was asked to manage the Third Division North side
Football League Third Division North vs. South Representative Games
The Third Division North and Third Division South of The Football League was a level in English association football, which ran from 1921 to 1958.From 1954–55 season until 1957–58 season, there was a series of games between teams representing the Third Division North and the Third Division South.-...
against the South in April 1957. Davison stepped down as Chesterfield manager in May 1958, at the age of 71, however he did continue to do some scouting for the club.
After finally retiring, Teddy spent his latter years in Sheffield, passing away in February 1971 at the age of 83. His legacy is that he probably made the biggest individual impact on Sheffield football of any person in history.