Billy Wright (footballer, born 1924)

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Billy Wright (William Ambrose Wright) was an English footballer who played as a centre-back. He was born on 6 February 1924 in Ironbridge, Shropshire, and died on 3 September 1994 in London.

Club career
- Wright spent his entire club career with Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) from 1939 to 1959, making 490 league appearances and scoring 13 goals.
- He helped Wolves win the First Division title three times (1953–54, 1957–58, 1958–59) and the FA Cup in 1949.
- He made his official Wolves debut in January 1946 in the FA Cup.
- A persistent captain, he led Wolves as captain early in his Wolves career.

International career
- Wright played for England 105 times and scored 3 goals.
- He made his England debut in 1946 against Ireland.
- He became England captain in 1948 and held the role for 90 games, a record at the time.
- He earned 70 consecutive full international appearances, a record until it was surpassed later.
- He was the first footballer in the world to reach 100 England caps, achieving this in 1959 against Scotland.

Managerial and later life
- Wright briefly managed England's youth team in 1960 and was appointed manager of Arsenal in 1962, staying until 1966.
- At Arsenal, he had mixed results and was dismissed after the 1965–66 season.
- He later worked as a television pundit and was Head of Sport for ATV and Central Television, retiring in 1989.
- Wright married Joy Beverley of the Beverley Sisters in July 1958.
- He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1959.

Legacy
- In 1990s, he joined the Wolves board after a new ownership took over.
- The Billy Wright Stand at Molineux is named in his honour.
- He appeared on This Is Your Life twice and was widely remembered as a Wolves and England icon.
- Wright died of pancreatic cancer in 1994, aged 70. His ashes were scattered on the pitch at Molineux.
- In 2009, there was a public campaign for a posthumous knighthood; in 2008 a tram in the Midlands was named after him.