Dario Gradi

Born to an Italian father (who died when Dario was still a child) and an English mother, Gradi moved to London, aged four, when his mother returned after the Second World War in 1945. He attended Glyn Grammar School in Epsom, and trained as a teacher of physical education at what is now Loughborough University from 1960 to 1963 (where he played for the university's first XI football team, alongside Bob Wilson and Barry Hines), before returning to teach at his former school. By this time he had already played as an amateur for Sutton United and for Tooting & Mitcham United in the early 1960s. He was later capped once for England's amateur side (playing in the team's British Amateur Championship tie against Scotland in Dundee in September 1967). He later rejoined Sutton United, playing in the FA Amateur Cup Final against North Shields in April 1969, and in the club's FA Cup 4th round tie against Leeds United in January 1970. Gradi also played for Wycombe Wanderers, long before the club became fully professional.

After a period of teaching, Gradi became a London regional coach for the FA; this caused him to lose his amateur status and become ineligible to continue his playing career. He had a spell coaching at east London's Senrab F.C., and was appointed assistant coach at Chelsea in 1971 at the age of just 29. This was followed by coaching posts at Derby County (first team coach, 1977–78), and, later, a two-year spell at Leyton Orient (youth team coach, 1981–83).

Sutton United

Gradi managed Sutton United from 1976 to 1977.

Wimbledon

He took over as manager of Wimbledon in January 1978, helping the Plough Lane side win promotion from the Football League Fourth Division in 1978–79, although they were relegated after only one season in the Third Division. They were well on course for an immediate return to the Third Division when in February 1981 an offer came for Gradi to manage struggling First Division side Crystal Palace. Palace chairman Ron Noades had only recently left Wimbledon himself and saw Gradi as the ideal man to save his new purchase from relegation.

Crystal Palace

Gradi's time at Selhurst Park was not a success, as he failed to save Crystal Palace from relegation, and he resigned the following November after a disappointing start to the 1981–82 season.

Crewe Alexandra

After a spell coaching at Leyton Orient, Gradi returned to management on 9 June 1983, when he accepted an offer to manage Crewe Alexandra, a team who regularly finished near the bottom of the Fourth Division and had been forced to apply for re-election on several occasions in order to avoid slipping into the Northern Premier League and, since its creation in 1979, the Football Conference. His first season signings included Mark Leonard from Tranmere Rovers, John Crabbe from Hereford United and David Pullar from Exeter City as Gradi looked to build an academy structure to develop players that could be sold to help fund…

In January 1998, Gradi was awarded an MBE for services to football, but was stripped of the award in 2023. In 2003 he was made an Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Crewe and Nantwich and in the same year was awarded an honorary doctorate by Loughborough University. In 2004, Gradi won the PFA Merit Award and was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame for his services to football. In 2011 at the Football League Awards Gradi was again honoured by his peers as he won the 'Outstanding Contribution to League Football' for his work at Crewe. A street in Crewe, Dario Gradi Drive, is named in his honour. The winning school in the Surrey Schools Football Association's boys under-13s competition receive the Dario Gradi Trophy.