Eddie Hapgood

Hapgood was born in Bristol and started his footballing career in the mid-1920s as an amateur playing in local football in the Bristol Downs Association Football League for St Phillip's Marsh Adult School Juniors (while employed as a milkman), before getting his big break at Kettering Town in the Southern League. He was signed by Herbert Chapman's Arsenal for £950 in 1927. Initially a thin and fragile player, Arsenal's trainer Tom Whittaker forced him to take up weight training, and abandon his vegetarianism, and Hapgood eventually became known for his physique and power. He supplemented his footballer's maximum wage by fashion modelling and advertising chocolate. Hapgood made his Arsenal debut on 19 November 1927 against Birmingham City but was initially used as backup for left back Horace Cope; he did not become Arsenal's regular left back until early 1929, but after that he made the position his own, right up until the outbreak of World War II in 1939. He played in Arsenal's 2–1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the Charity Shield at Stamford Bridge in October 1930. Arsenal won the match 2–1. He played 35 or more matches in every season in that period, earning a reputation as an elegant and unruffled defender; he even deputised as goalkeeper on two occasions when Frank Moss was injured. Hapgood went on to succeed Alex James as Arsenal captain, leading the side to the league title in 1937–38, whilst personally winning five League Championships and two FA Cups. Hapgood…

In 1945, he wrote one of the first footballing autobiographies, entitled Football Ambassador, and after the war moved into management. He had stints in charge of Blackburn Rovers, and then Watford and Bath City. After that he left football completely; he fell on hard times and wrote back to his old club Arsenal asking for financial assistance (as he had never been given a testimonial match) but the club only sent him £30. He spent his later years running a YMCA hostel in Harwell, Berkshire and Egdon Hall (hostel for UKAEA apprentices) in Lynch Lane Weymouth, Dorset. He died in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, on Good Friday 1973 at the age of 64.

Arsenal

Football League First Division: 1930–31, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1937–38 FA Cup: 1929–30, 1935–36; runner-up: 1931–32 FA Charity Shield: 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934 Individual

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