Fred Harris (footballer, born 1912)

Frederick Harris (2 July 1912 – 11 October 1998) was an English footballer who played his whole professional career for Birmingham City.

Fred Harris
Personal information
Full name Frederick Harris[1]
Date of birth (1912-07-02)2 July 1912[1]
Place of birth Solihull, England
Date of death 11 October 1998(1998-10-11) (aged 86)[1]
Place of death Solihull, England
Playing position(s) Inside forward / Wing half
Youth career
Birmingham City Transport
Osborne Athletic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1933–1950 Birmingham City 280 (61)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Life and career

Harris was born in Solihull, Warwickshire.[2] He joined Birmingham as an inside forward in 1933 at the age of 19, and scored on his debut in a 2–1 home win against local rivals Aston Villa at the start of the 1934–35 season.[2][3] He was the club's leading scorer in 1938–39 with 14 League goals and 17 in all competitions.[4]

During the Second World War he converted to play as a wing half and played out the rest of his career in that position. His strong tackling and constructive use of the ball impressed manager Harry Storer sufficiently to make him club captain.[2] He is credited with recommending Johnny Berry to Birmingham, having seen him play for an Army team while both were serving in India during the war.[5] He won representative honours for the Football League XI against the Scottish League in 1948–49.[2]

Harris retired from football in 1950, aged nearly 38, having made 312 appearances in all competitions for Birmingham and scored 68 goals, and became a chiropodist and physiotherapist in the Acocks Green district of Birmingham.[2] He died in Solihull in October 1998 at the age of 86.[1]

His nephew, Roy McDonough, was also a professional footballer.[6]

Honours

Birmingham City[2]

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References
  1. "Fred Harris". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  2. Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 94. ISBN 1-85983-010-2.
  3. Matthews, p. 177.
  4. Matthews, p. 181.
  5. Clare, Tom (13 August 2007). "50 years on – "The Wizard of the Wing"". Tom Clare's History of Manchester United. Manchester United Supporters' Trust. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  6. McDonough, Roy; Friend, Bernie (2012). Red Card Roy: Sex, Booze, and early Baths. The Life of Britain's Wildest-Ever Footballer. Vision Sports. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-907637-56-8.
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