Norman Hunter: Football star who was the tough-tackling lynchpin of Leeds United’s glory years

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

Norman Hunter, who has died aged 76 of Covid-19, enjoyed a long, illustrious and often controversial footballing career as the rugged cornerstone of one of the most successful sides in the history of Leeds United.

Though renowned for his unyielding physical approach to the game, this solidly built centre back and defensive midfielder undoubtedly had far more to offer, his often overlooked ball control and passing skills bringing him 28 international caps and membership of England’s 1966 and 1970 World Cup squads.

Born in the Eighton Banks area of Gateshead, he found sporting success – if not academic glory – at his school Birtley Secondary Modern. Spotted playing for Birtley Juniors, in 1959 he signed for Leeds United, then a somewhat underachieving team in the lower reaches of the old Second Division.

However, the arrival of Don Revie as player-manager in 1961 acted as a catalyst. Becoming a father figure, particularly to Hunter, Revie bonded together a group of emerging young players who, in 1964, won promotion. While initially struggling to capture trophies, over the next decade they would never be out of the First Division’s top four.

Rarely missing a game, Hunter earned his first silverware in 1968 as Leeds beat Arsenal in the League Cup final and subsequently oversame the Hungarian side Ferencvaros to claim the Inter-Cites Fairs Cup. The following year, with Hunter’s defensive partnership with Jack Charlton conceding just 26 goals, the team romped away with the league title. He was one of four players booked in the bruising 1-0 1972 FA Cup final win over Arsenal, but lost the following year’s final to Sunderland, and was sent off for retaliating as Leeds controversially lost the European Cup Winners’ Cup final to AC Milan the same year.

Consolation came in 1974, as Leeds again comfortably claimed the First Division title, Hunter himself becoming the first Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year. Surprisingly succeeding Don Revie as Leeds manager that year was the club’s biggest critic, Brian Clough. Abysmal results saw him leave after only 44 days. His successor, Jimmy Armfield, then took the team to the 1975 European Cup final, only to lose to Bayern Munich. The next season, in front of the television cameras, Hunter became embroiled in an infamous brawl with Derby County forward Francis Lee.

Having made three appearances for the under-23 side, Hunter won his first international cap against Spain in Madrid in 1965. The following year he was in the squad for the World Cup though he did not play in any of the matches. He was also a member of the 1970 World Cup squad, though once again he found himself regularly overlooked in favour of West Ham’s Bobby Moore. Playing against Poland in that fateful World Cup qualifier at Wembley in 1973, sadly a most uncharacteristic error helped set up the Polish goal that that not only eliminated England but cost manager Alf Ramsey his job.

Hunter’s consistency was a major factor in helping to keep Leeds United at the forefront of the domestic game, but after making 726 appearances between 1962 and 1976 he then moved sideways to play for Bristol City. Three years later he returned to Yorkshire, joining Third Division Barnsley, then managed by his former Leeds teammate Allan Clarke.

When Clarke moved to Elland Road, Hunter succeeded him as Barnsley manager. Having taken the club to second place in the Third Division before winning promotion to Division Two, poor results saw him sacked in 1984. Taking charge for a time at Rotherham United, he also coached at Leeds, West Bromwich Albion and Bradford City.

In 2005 he published an entertaining autobiography entitled Biting Talk. Four years later he and his fellow reserves of the 1966 squad belatedly received winners medals from the then prime minister Gordon Brown at Downing Street.

During 2013 he surprised many by selling off his extensive set of medals. Latterly he worked as an after-dinner speaker and was a frequent visitor to Elland Road, both as a match day host and a summariser for local radio.

He married Susan Harper in 1968. She and their two children survive him.

Norman Hunter, footballer, born 29 October 1943, died 17 April 2020