Reginald Frederick Harrison (22 May 1923 – 17 September 2020) was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a

right winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

Early life

Born in May 1923 in

Normanton, Derby Normanton is an inner city suburb and ward of the city of Derby in Derbyshire, England, situated approximately south of the city centre. Neighbouring suburbs include Littleover, Pear Tree, Rose Hill and Sunny Hill. The original village of Norman ...

, Harrison left school at 14 to train to be a decorator. During World War Two he served with the Royal Engineers, serving as an Army training officer based in England.

Career

After playing non-league football for Derby Corinthians, Harrison signed for

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...

at the age of 16. He signed amateur forms in 1941 and turned professional in 1944, whilst he was also serving in the Army. During the war he guested for

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...

Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in ...

and

Hartlepools United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded in 1908 as Har ...

. He scored 52 goals in 254 league appearances for Derby, and 59 goals in 281 games in all competitions. Whilst with Derby, Harrison won the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

in 1946. As of September 2018 he was also the oldest living FA Cup winner. He left Derby to play for

Boston United Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...

. He joined Long Eaton United as a player in 1957, becoming player-manager in February 1958, remaining in that position until May 1962. He later also managed Wilmorton & Alvaston and

Alfreton Town Alfreton Town Football Club is a football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire, England. The club are currently members of and play at North Street. History The club was formed in 1959 following the merger of Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alfr ...

. After retiring as a player, Harrison worked for Derby City Council's Youth Service, and set up a youth centre and football club.

Personal life

Harrison and his wife celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in March 2015. The couple had two children (including a son who died from leukemia at the age of 7), two granddaughters, and, as of March 2015, one great-grandson. In September 2018 it was proposed by the local council that he would be awarded the Freedom of the City of

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

. He died at home in

Alvaston Alvaston (/ˈɒlvəstən/ or /ˈælvəstən/) is a village and ward of Derby, England. Alvaston is situated on the A6, three miles south-east of Derby city centre and probably owes its name to Allwald. It is bordered to the north by the ...

on 17 September 2020 at the age of 97. At the time of his death he was the oldest living FA Cup finalist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Reg 1923 births 2020 deaths English footballers English football managers Derby County F.C. players Boston United F.C. players Long Eaton United F.C. players English Football League players Long Eaton United F.C. managers Alfreton Town F.C. managers Association football wingers People from Normanton, Derby Footballers from Derby Sheffield United F.C. wartime guest players Notts County F.C. wartime guest players Charlton Athletic F.C. wartime guest players Hartlepool United F.C. wartime guest players British Army personnel of World War II Royal Engineers officers FA Cup Final players