As Charlie Hurley celebrates his 80th birthday, safc.com has reflected on the legacy left by the man nicknamed 'The King'.
Voted player of the century by Sunderland fans in 1979, you will have to go along way to find more of a club legend than Hurley.
Dubbed the ‘greatest centre-half the world has ever seen’, Hurley has rolled back the years and evoked memories of his 12 years on Wearside.
“Before I moved to the north east I knew nothing about the area,” he said. “I didn’t have a clue what was up there really. Alan Brown talked and talked but I had no intention of coming up from Millwall.
“The Bomber as I nicknamed him was a good manager and he built his own team. Alan said to me I am going to build a team around you and I thought it was a joke but he was absolutely right.
“I don’t know many teams but the team that got promotion, Montgmomery, Irwin, Ashurst, Harvey, Hurley, McNab, Usher, Herd, Sharkey, Crossan and Mulhall – I don’t know any other team but it’s amazing how I can remember that, they were a great bunch of lads.
“It was the best part of my football life playing for Sunderland, I was named Millwall’s greatest player and Sunderland’s player of the century so I have been very lucky but I was a grafter and a winner.”
‘The King’, as he was described, was an imposing defender; however life on Wearside didn’t start well as he made his debut in a 7-0 defeat to Blackpool. That was then followed by a 6-0 defeat in Sunderland's next match away at Burnley.
From there on, Hurley established himself as a tall and commanding defender who was a danger from set-pieces as he bagged 26 goals in 401 appearances.
Even to this day, 47 years on since he left Sunderland the Irishman hasn’t forgotten the unconditional love the Black Cats fans showed him.
“I always want to know how Sunderland are getting on, it won’t leave me, the relationship I had with the fans when I was up there for 12 years was fantastic and it never left me and it never leaves them.
“Anyone mentions Sunderland and that’s it, I’m looking and I’m talking. The loyalty from the Sunderland fans over the years has been fantastic and I loved going there.
“I may have physically left the club but mentally I still love Sunderland. Believe me, they are still in my heart - I never left the club.”
Everyone at Sunderland AFC would like to wish Charlie Hurley a happy 80th birthday!
