Harry Gregg – An Obituary
Harry Gregg, one of the Busby Babes and a hero in the immediate aftermath of the Munich Air Disaster, passed away yesterday at the age of 87.
Gregg was the goalkeeper of the Manchester United team who set off from Munich Airport in 1958 in poor conditions and crashed at the end of the runway, killing 23 people on board. Eight of those who perished were Gregg’s team mates.
Harry Gregg started his footballing career in his native Northern Ireland at Windsor Park Swifts and Coleraine before Doncaster Rovers came in for him and brought him over to England.
After five years at Belle Vue and almost 100 league appearances, Matt Busby came in and offered Doncaster £23,500 for his services to take Gregg to Old Trafford in December 1957.
The £23,500 was a world-record sum for a goalkeeper at the time but the sum didn’t faze the Irishman and he quickly established himself as United’s number one.
It was to be money well-spent as over the next ten years, Gregg played 247 times for Manchester United. Two months in to his time at United, Harry Gregg’s life was about to change in the most tragic of circumstances.
Manchester United had flown over to Belgrade and had secured a place in the European Cup Semi-Finals for the second season in a row. On their return flight, the plane stopped off to re-fuel in Munich, Germany.
Two attempts to take-off had tried and failed and conditions had worsened but the pilot decided that a third and final attempt would be made to get back to Manchester. It was to be a decision that would prove fatal for 23 people on board.
The plane took off but slid through some slushy snow that had accumulated at the end of the runway. The plane went through a fence and a wing was worn off as it hit a nearby house.
Gregg survived and was even conscious as many around him were either dead or dying. He made his way out of the wreckage and then returned to the inside of the plane to carry out several team-mates and other passengers from the burning wreckage.
Gregg’s heroic actions in the immediate aftermath were widely praised and he was dubbed ‘ The Hero of Munich’.
Amazingly, 13 days after the crash, Gregg played in United’s first game since the tragedy against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup.
United would go on to reach the FA Cup Final at the end of the most terrible of seasons. The whole world cheered them on, willing and yearning for the team to bring home the FA Cup as a tribute to their fallen heroes.
Sadly, Bolton Wanderers had other ideas and beat United 2-0 at Wembley. The second goal was hotly-disputed as Bolton’s superstar striker Nat Lofthouse bundled both Gregg and the ball over the line with a fierce shoulder-barge. Referee J. Sherlock awarded the goal and the Cup went to Burnden Park.
Winning the FA Cup would have been a huge achievement for the United team who were patched together following the disaster. Their league form had understandably dipped in the aftermath of the tragedy but the team had finished a credible 9th place given the awful circumstances.
United would go on to reach the FA Cup in 1963 but Gregg was unable to play as he had a shoulder injury. Further injuries meant that he didn’t qualify for a League Championship medal when United won the First Division title in 1964/65.
Two years after United’s title win, Harry Gregg was on his way to Stoke City. He only appeared twice for City and retired at the end of the 1966/67 season. His former club Manchester United ended up winning the title.
Harry Gregg was capped 25 times for Northern Ireland and won his first cap against Wales in March 1954.
He was part of the Northern Ireland squad who reached the Quarter Finals of the 1958 World Cup before they were knocked out by France.
Gregg was awarded the Goalkeeper of the Tournament at the 1958 World Cup, Northern Ireland’s debut in the competition. This is a great achievement considering Lev Yashin, one of the best goalkeepers in footballing history played in the tournament for the Soviet Union.
They wouldn’t qualify for another World Cup until 1982 when Billy Bingham, one of the players in the 1958 side was the coach.
Sir Bobby Charlton. who was one of Gregg’s team-mates who the goalkeeper lifted from the wreckage lead the tributes today following the news of his passing. He described Gregg as:
“A shining light both on and off the pitch. For so many reasons, he deserves to be remembered as one of the greatest names in Manchester United’s history. “
Sir Alex Ferguson was also “Harry was a man of great character and a true legend at our club.”
The phrase legend is thrown about too casually these days but in the case of Harry Gregg, I can totally agree with Sir Alex Ferguson. The man was a legend and will go down in United’s history for all of time.
Fulham’s Craven Cottage
I wrote a brief article earlier on this month on the anniversary of the Munich Disaster for my ‘On This Day’ article for 6th February. You can find this by clicking here.
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