Vote for your Huddersfield Town legend of legends for HTSA’s Hall of Fame

Huddersfield Town fans are now able to vote for their all-time favourite player to be inducted into the Huddersfield Town Supporters’ Association’s Heritage Project Hall of Fame. 

There are 40 names to choose from on HTSA’s new heritage website which you can see here. It includes both players and managers. This 40 will be whittled down to just 10 to enter the hall of fame.

All the names on the list are legends in their own right and it’s a tough choice.

There have been exactly 1,000 players to play for the club since it was founded in 1908. Josh Ruffels was the 1,000th player to appear in a blue and white shirt in the recent 3-2 victory over Blackburn Rovers. 

There have been 39 permanent managers starting with Fred Walker in 1908 through to current boss Carlos Corberan.

The contrast between the two bosses show how far football has come in the last century.

Walker was born in Barrow-In-Furness and moved to play for Leeds City in 1905. He eventually became Huddersfield Town player manager in 1908, leaving the club two years later.

Corberan, born in Cheste in Spain, represented Valencia CF at youth level. At the age of 23, however, after only representing the team’s reserves and playing no higher than the Tercera División, he decided to retire to pursue his passion for coaching.

Huddersfield Town supporter and Huddersfield Hub sports editor and director Steven Downes has picked his top five.

GEORGE BROWN

My first pick to be considered to go into the hall of fame is George Brown. 

Born in 1903, in Mickley, Northumberland, Brown would go on to become one of the most prolific goalscorers in British football history. He also played through the Terriers most successful period, the 1920s. 

With a career down the pits looking likely, if it hadn’t been for the 1921 miners’ strike, Brown may never have gone on to become a professional footballer.

Nicknamed Bomber Brown for his strength and power. He would join Town in 1921 with his arrival coinciding with legendary manager Herbert Chapman. With Brown’s goals and Chapman’s tactics Town became unstoppable, winning the FA Cup in 1922.

Although Brown didn’t play in the final. He also helped the club to win It’s three league titles. All in all he scored 159 goals for the club in 229 appearances. 142 goals in 213 games in the league. He also gained eight England caps whilst at Town scoring five goals. 

Brown went on to play for Aston Villa, Leeds United, Burnley and Darlington before retiring in 1938. Brown died just ten years later, aged 44. 

ANDY BOOTH

Andy Booth has a story of a local boy who did good. Born in 1973 in Huddersfield the iconic number 23 shirt will always be associated with this man. 

Having made his debut in 1992 Booth would go on to become the club’s fourth highest appearance maker and third highest goalscorer across two spells at the club. 

Boothy was top scorer in Neil Warnock’s side that won promotion from Division Two in the 1994/95 season – bagging 26 league goals. He also scored to put Town 1-0 up in that Play-Off Final at Wembley against Bristol Rovers. During this first spell he scored 52 goals in 123 league appearances for the Terriers. He then joined Sheffield Wednesday for a reported fee of £2.7 million in 1996. 

He returned to the club in 2001 and made another 270 appearances. He reached his 150th goal for the Terriers in his last ever game in a 1–1 draw against Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road. 

Booth has gone on to play a major part in the background of the club becoming the club ambassador. 

The 47 year old is – and will always be – a legend in this corner of West Yorkshire. 

MALCOLM BROWN

Malcolm ‘Mally’ Brown is one of the most humble former Town players and he has certainly played his part in the history of the club. 

He currently stands in sixth position in the club’s all time appearances list having made over 400 appearances across two spells. 

Playing for the club between 1977-83, Brown won two promotions with the club, helping to take them from the fourth division to the second. He went on to play for Newcastle before returning to the club in 1985. 

You can read more about Malcolm here when Huddersfield Hub exclusively interviewed him. 

HERBERT CHAPMAN

Herbert Chapman is a genuine legend. He is one of the most successful managers in British football history. 

Having won seven trophies as a manager including four league titles and two FA Cup, Chapman was a pioneer in football tactics, making his teams incredibly hard to play against. 

Embroiled in a payment scandal at Leeds City, he was banned from football around the time of World War 1. He won his appeal and his ban was dropped in 1921 which allowed him to join Huddersfield Town. 

Having taken full control of the team he set about building the first great modern footballing dynasty. The club won the FA Cup in 1922 and Chapman led the Terriers to two out of their three league titles 1923-24 and 1924-25. In the summer of 1925 Chapman moved to Arsenal. He would match his achievements in Yorkshire with the North London club. 

Chapman died aged 55 in 1934 from pneumonia. He is buried in St Mary’s Churchyard, Hendon.

DAVID WAGNER

In an era where money rules in football David Wagner turned up in Huddersfield not knowing anything about English football. He’d only visited England once before and even that was passing through an airport. He was an unknown quantity and Town fans could be forgiven for being a little concerned. 

Having taken over in 2015 after the dismissal of former boss Chris Powell, Wagner guided the club to a 19th placed finish in the 2015/16 season. Town fans whilst positive about Wagner’s style of play were curious to see where the club could go under him. 

In the summer of 2016 the German boss brought in 13 new players. Two in particular are Huddersfield Town legends in their own right, in Christopher Schindler and Michael Hefele. 

Having assembled a squad with the fourth lowest budget in the Championship, Wagner guided the team to finish third in the 2016-17 campaign. The club would be promoted to the top division in English football for the first time in 45 years after beating Reading on penalties in the playoff final. 

Wagner had created miracles at Town. The club survived their first season in the Premier League. Wagner defeated Manchester United a result Town fans could only dream about, but now it was reality. 

Despite how his tenure ended, Wagner should always be counted as a Huddersfield legend. 

In truth any of the 40 could be inducted into the hall of Fame, these have been my top five. Who are yours?