Raich Carter

In the summer of 1931 Carter signed amateur terms with Sunderland. After a trial he was still considered too small to be a professional. He moved to leading local amateur side Esh Winning. On 10 October 1931 Carter made his debut for Sunderland reserves against Walker Celtic He retained his place a week later. On 12 November 1931, he signed a professional contract. It was a part-time contract (training two nights a week) for £3 a week plus £1 for each reserve team appearance which represented a big increase on his 45p a week electrician's apprenticeship. After 9 appearances, his wage was increased to £8 a week. Carter captained Sunderland to the Football League title in 1936, at that time the youngest man ever to have captained a First Division title-winning side. On 28 March 1936, Carter was sent off for the only time in his career in a feisty 5–0 defeat at Middlesbrough. In December 1936 Carter received the usual benefit cheque of £650 for five years' service with the club. It was to rankle him that despite a long career it was the only benefit cheque he was to receive as he never did five years continuous service again. He followed that up with victory in the 1937 FA Cup final, scoring the second Sunderland goal in a 3–1 win over Preston North End. The Second World War interrupted his playing career during several of his peak years, like many players of this time. He later won the FA Cup with Derby County in 1946, becoming the only player to win the competition both…

Schoolboy ideas of a dual football-cricket career were discounted as Carter felt he would be unable to give his full attention to two sports and that cricket would probably involve moving away from home and his widowed mother and sisters and serving a residential qualification before being eligible to play for a first-class county. In July 1933 he made his debut in the Second Eleven Championship for Durham County Cricket Club against Yorkshire's Second XI at Headingley. Batting at number 10, he top scored with 44 runs in a total of 145 and retained his place in the next game when Durham beat the touring West Indies at Ashbrooke, Sunderland, although he was dismissed for a duck. In July 1934, he was again selected to play for Durham against Yorkshire's 2nd XI; he took 4/22 and scored 10 runs and retained his place in the side for the next game against the touring Australians side. Whilst at Derby, Carter played first-class cricket for Derbyshire County Cricket Club. He made his County Championship debut in June 1946 against Worcestershire. He was a right-handed batsman and batted in four innings in his three first-class matches. He was a left-arm slow orthodox bowler and took two wickets. During the summer, Carter was a regular club cricketer playing mainly in the Durham Senior League for Hendon and Sunderland Police. In the summer of 1936, due to loyalty to Hendon, he rejected interest from several clubs who wanted to employ him as their cricket professional. After moving to…

In February 1948, rumours began to circulate that Carter was to move to Leeds United. Carter was interviewed for the position but there were two stumbling blocks, the length of the contract and Leeds' wish to make the appointment at the end of the season. On 1 April 1948, Carter joined Hull City in a player / assistant manager role for £6,000. He turned down other offers believing he would learn more under manager Major Frank Buckley and Hull City would provide the fastest route into a manager's position. He was appointed player–manager on 23 April 1948 after Buckley's resignation. Carter continued his playing career at Hull City, winning the Division Three North title and reaching the Round 6 of the FA Cup in his first season and buying a young Don Revie. In the next two seasons, the side finished 7th and 10th in Division Two. On 5 September 1951, Carter offered his resignation. It was accepted by the directors on 12 September 1951, no reason was given and no discord was apparent. Several clubs expressed an interest in signing him but he continued to train with Hull City, who retained his playing contract, until the directors asked him not to. He maintained his match fitness by playing local amateur football in Leconfield. Following strong public support, he returned as a player with Hull City on 8 December 1951 for the rest of that season before retiring as a player. In May 1953, Carter was appointed Leeds United manager; he stated he was joining as manager only, although…

As a player, Carter was noted for his "Carter Roar"; some perceived it as Carter blaming others for his mistakes. Carter saw it as necessary to issue short and sharp instructions to teammates in a loud voice to be heard over crowd noise. Carter was noted as a being a natural footballer who wanted his players to "play it by ear", he did not want to over coach them. In an interview with the Hull Daily Mail in February 1949, Carter joked, "I used to be arrogant but I've matured and grown more tolerant; now I'm just conceited" . As a manager, Carter was a traditionalist with no real interest in coaching, believing in fostering a strong team spirit, being nurturing and, supportive of his players. He could be demanding and authoritative and did not suffer fools gladly. He refused to sanction any illegal or underhand payments.