April 30, 1938: The Hat-Eater's Final

Thomas Woodrooffe -- with hat intact.

April 30, 1938: The Football Assocation Cup Final is held at Wembley Stadium in West London. Both teams are from the North of England.

Huddersfield Town, of West Yorkshire, had won the Football League in 1924, '25 and '26; finished 2nd in 1927, '28 and '34; won the FA Cup in 1922; and lost in the Final in 1920, '28 and '30. So they were a team that had seen greatness recently.

But Preston North End, of Lancashire, had the greater history. In 1888, they reached the FA Cup Final. The following season, 1888-89, was the 1st season of the Football League, and they went unbeaten in 22 games, 18 wins and 4 draws, earning them the nickname "The Invincibles." As the League season was lengthened, there has only been one "Invincibles" since, the 2003-04 Arsenal team that had 26 wins and 12 draws in 38 games.

Preston also won the FA Cup in 1889. Thus, in the 1st season that it was possible, they won the League and the Cup, which became known as "The Double." They won the League again in 1890, and finished 2nd in 1891, '92, '93 and 1906. They didn't reach the Cup Final again until 1922, losing to Huddersfield. They lost it again in 1937, to North-East team Sunderland.

Managed by Clem Stephenson, Huddersfield had a Scottish centre forward, Willie MacFadyen. (That's correct: Not "MacFayden.") Otherwise, they fielded an entirely English lineup, captained by centreback Alf Young, and including former Arsenal star Joe Hulme. In contrast, Preston, managed by James Taylor (a very common name), had only 4 Englishmen and 7 Scotsmen, including their Captain, centreback Tom Smith (also a very common name, especially in British "football"), and right halfback Bill Shankly, who would later manage Liverpool FC to glory.

This was the 1st FA Cup Final to be broadcast on television. Thomas Woodrooffe called the match for the BBC. But there wasn't much action for him to call, and after 90 minutes plus stoppage time, the game was 0-0. Extra time was played, and almost used up. With 1 minute to go, plus whatever stoppage time there would have been -- probably only 1 more minute -- Woodrooffe said, "If there's a goal scored now, I'll eat my hat."

Famous last words: Right after he said that, Preston inside forward George Mutch was fouled in the penalty area, and referee Jimmy Jewell properly awarded Preston a penalty. The validity of the call has never been seriously questioned: Huddersfield fans have not moaned about being "robbed" ever since. I've seen the film: The penalty was properly given. Mutch took the penalty himself, and scored. Preston won, 1-0, and Captain Smith was handed the Cup by King George VI.

George Mutch

At a banquet a few days later, Woodrooffe was served a cake in the shape of a hat, allowing him to keep his word. This was broadcast on the BBC television "programme" Picture Page.

Both teams have struggled since, only rarely seeing the glory of the top flight. Huddersfield haven't won a major trophy since 1926, and haven't reached the Cup Final again since 1938. Preston have, losing it in 1954 and '64. They've also finished 2nd in the League in 1953 and '58. But their last major trophy has been the Football League War Cup in 1941.

Woodrooffe lived until 1978; Mutch, until 2001. Left back Bobby Beattie was the last survivor of the 1938 Preston team, living until 2002.

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April 30, 1938 was a Saturday. This was also the day that the 1st cartoon with Bugs Bunny in it premiered. I have a separate entry for that event.

Elsewhere in English soccer, Arsenal beat Liverpool, 1-0 at the Arsenal Stadium, a.k.a. Highbury in North London. A week later, Arsenal beat Manchester-area team Bolton Wanderers, and won the Football League title.

And these games were played in America's major league baseball:

* The New York Yankees beat the Washington Senators, 8-4 at Griffith Stadium in Washington. Spurgeon "Spud" Chandler outpitched Emil "Dutch" Leonard. Red Rolfe went 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs. Lou Gehrig went 0-for-5. Joe DiMaggio went 1-for-3.

* The New York Giants beat their arch-rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers, 3-1 at the Polo Grounds. Carl Hubbell outpitched Van Lingle Mungo. Mel Ott went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.

* The Boston Bees beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 16-11 at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. After a horrible 1935 season, the Braves changed their name to the Bees, but it didn't catch on, and they switched back in 1941. For the Bees, Gene Moore went 2-for-5 with a home run, a walk and 4 RBI, Tony Cuccinello went 3-for-4 with 2 walks and 3 RBIs, Ray Mueller went 3-for-5 with an RBI, and Harl Maggert pinch-hit a grand slam. For the Phillies, Chuck Klein went 4-for-6 with 2 RBIs, and Hersh Martin went 2-for-5 with 4 RBIs.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-3 at League Park in Cleveland. Hank Greenberg went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-0 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Roy "Peaches" Davis pitched a 5-hit shutout.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the St. Louis Browns, 3-0 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Ted Lyons allowed 9 hits, but kept the shutout.

* The Chicago Cubs beat their arch-rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, 11-5 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.

* The Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox were rained out at Fenway Park in Boston. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on August 17. The Red Sox swept, 4-3 and 5-0. Joe Heving pitched a 7-hit shutout in the nightcap. Jimmie Foxx went 3-for-7 with a home run, a walk, and 2 RBIs over the 2 games.

April 26, 1930: The Final's Clubs Come Out Together

The Captains: Tom Parker of Arsenal (left)

and Tom Wilson of Huddersfield Town

April 26, 1930: The FA Cup Final is held at the old Wembley Stadium in London. North London team Arsenal, managed by Herbert Chapman, are looking for their 1st Cup win since their foundation in 1886, having previously made the Final in 1927, losing to Cardiff City.

Their opponents are Yorkshire team Huddersfield Town, formerly managed by Chapman. He had led them to win the Cup in 1922, and the Football League in 1924 and 1925, setting them up to win it again in 1926, under his successor, Cecil Potter. They were now managed by Clem Stephenson, who had played for Huddersfield under Chapman; and, before that, had played for Birmingham team Aston Villa, winning the Cup in 1913 and 1920.

As a tribute to Chapman, For this reason, the 2 teams -- Arsenal in scarlet shirts with white collars, but not yet with the famous white sleeves, Huddersfield in blue and white stripes -- come out together, the 1st time it was ever done. It started a tradition, and now, all over the world, for games large and small, the teams come out together in a show of sportsmanship.

Shirt from the 1930 FA Cup Final,

worn by Arsenal right half Alf Baker

Shirt worn by Huddersfield left back

Marshall Bonwell "Bon" Spence.

Note the White Rose of Yorkshire.

In the middle of the game, the Graf Zeppelin flew over the stadium. This was during Germany's Weimar Republic, not yet the Nazi era.

Note also that the roof at Wembley Stadium

does not yet extend around the ends. That was done in 1963.

Arsenal won, 2-0. Alex James scored in the 16th minute, and Jack Lambert (no relation to the later Pittsburgh Steeler linebacker of the same name) put the game away in the 88th. It was the 1st major trophy for the Gunners, who would go on to dominate the 1930s in English soccer the way Huddersfield had dominated the 1920s.

Before the game, both teams met with Britain's King George V. After the game, Arsenal Captain Tom Parker (no relation to the man of the same name who would later be Elvis Presley's manager) led the team up the 39 steps to the Royal Box, and accepted the Cup from the King.

King George V, the Cup, and Captain Tom Parker at center.

Note Prince Albert, Duke of York, the future King George VI, at left.

Note also the the future King Edward VIII is not in the royal box.

Foreshadowing, perhaps?

As of their 2020 win, Arsenal have won the FA Cup more than any other team: 14 times. Huddersfield Town are still looking for their 1st Cup win since 1922.

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April 26, 1930 was a Saturday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 8-3 at Yankee Stadium. George Pipgras went the distance for the win. Lou Gehrig hit a home run. Babe Ruth went 1-for-4 with a walk.

* The New York Giants swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Phillies, 13-2 and 7-5 at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. Over the 2 games, Travis Jackson went 5-for-10 with a home run in each game and 4 RBIs, Bill Terry went 4-for-9 with a home run in each game, a walk, and 3 RBIs, Mel Ott went 4-for-7 with 2 walks and 5 RBIs, and the Phils' Chuck Klein went 2-for-9 with an RBI.

* The Brooklyn Robins (as the Dodgers were known while Wilbert Robinson was their manager from 1914 to 1931) lost to the Boston Braves, 2-1 at Braves Field in Boston.

* The Washington Senators beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 8-4 at Griffith Stadium in Washington. The A's bullpen blew it for Lefty Grove. Al Simmons went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Mickey Cochrane went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Jimmie Foxx went 0-for-2 with 2 walks.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 9-7 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Lloyd Waner did not play, but Paul Waner went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI, and Frankie Frisch went 2-for-5.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 11-4 at League Park in Cleveland.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs, 1-0 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Benny Frey pitched a 7-hit shutout. Rogers Hornsby appeared as a pinch-hitter for the Cubs, but did not reach base.

* And the St. Louis Browns beat the Chicago White Sox, 12-0 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Alvin Crowder, known as "General" after World War I figure General Enoch Crowder, pitched a 6-hit shutout to beat future Hall-of-Famer Ted Lyons.

January 6, 1934: The Death of Herbert Chapman

January 6, 1934: Herbert Chapman dies of pneumonia, just short of his 56th birthday, at his home in Hendon, North-West London.

Chapman was born on January 19, 1878, in Kiveton Park, South Yorkshire, England. An inside forward, he was, like many great managers and head coaches in sports, an ordinary player. In 1907, he became the manager of Northampton Town, and he led them to the Southern League title in 1909. In 1912, he moved on to Leeds City. Financial irregularities forced the team out of business, and Chapman was disgraced, even though he had nothing to do with the irregularities.

But in 1921, Yorkshire team Huddersfield Town hired him, and he took them to glory, winning the FA Cup in 1922, and the Football League Division One in 1924 and 1925. Desperate for the same kind of glory, Sir Henry Norris, chairman of North London team Arsenal, hired Chapman.

It took 5 years, and a lot of money and transactions, but Chapman made Arsenal the best team in England -- maybe the best in the world. With a defense led by Tom Parker and Eddie Hapgood, and an attack led by Alex James and Cliff Bastin, they won the FA Cup in 1930, and the League in 1931 and 1933. 

In the process, he undertook a massive overhaul of the Arsenal Stadium, nicknamed Highbury for its neighborhood. In 1932, the East Stand, with its Art Deco front and marble halls, opened. He began to rebuild the West Stand in the same fashion.

The East Stand

He also made the Arsenal name known through Europe, by taking on all comers in exhibition games, or "friendlies" as they're known in soccer. Typical of this was the annual contest on or near Armistice Day, November 11, against Racing Club Paris. (They were one of the leading teams in France at the time, but this has long since stopped being the case.) There were also tours of Austria and Scandinavia, and games against the top teams in Scotland. And he wrote a column that appeared in a national newspaper, The Sunday Express.

On December 30, 1933, he managed Arsenal to a 0-0 draw against Birmingham City at St. Andrews' Stadium in Birmingham. No one knew it at the time, but it would be his last match. On January 1, 1934, after a a New Year's celebration in London, Chapman went on a scouting trip to Nottingham, to see Notts County play Manchester area team Bury. We may never know which player he was looking to buy, as Arsenal did not end up buying any players from either team over the next year. The next day, he went to Yorkshire to watch Sheffield Wednesday, Arsenal's next opponent. He spent the night at his hometown of Kiveton Park.

When he got back to London, he had a cold, but instead of staying inside, he braved the Winter chill to watch an Arsenal reserve team match. He developed pneumonia. In those pre-antibiotic days, there was little that could be done. Early in the morning of January 6, he died. Incredibly, Arsenal's match that day with Wednesday, then a very good team, was played as scheduled, and ended in a 1-1 draw.

As great a tragedy as it was for Arsenal, Chapman gave them the greatest gift of all: He built a team that didn't need him. Joe Shaw, former player and now assistant coach, was named caretaker manager, and he took them to another title in 1934.

George Allison, a longtime associate of Chapman's, was named the new manager, with Shaw remaining as an assistant, essentially running the play while Allison ran the business side. In U.S. terms, Shaw was head coach, while Allison was general manager. Together, they led Arsenal to League titles in 1935 and 1938, and the FA Cup in 1936, with the West Stand being finished that year.

A bust of Chapman was placed in the main entrance of the East Stand, and was moved to the accompanying spot in the new Emirates Stadium when Arsenal moved there in 2006. In 2011, a life-size statue of Chapman was dedicated outside the Emirates, a permanent memorial to one of the greatest and most innovative managers in the history of soccer.

The statue seems like a small price to pay for leaving the stadium he turned into one of the most famous in the world.

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January 6, 1934 was a Saturday. In addition to Arsenal's draw with Wednesday, these games were played in Division One. Arsenal's North London arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur went to Birmingham, and beat Aston Villa, 5-1. Huddersfield Town hosted Portsmouth and won, 4-0. Blackburn Rovers hosted and beat Derby County, 2-1. Manchester City hosted Leicester City, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Stoke City hosted and beat Sunderland, 3-0. Middlesbrough hosted and beat West Bromwich Albion, 3-0. Newcastle United hosted about and beat Leeds United, 2-0. Everton hosted Birmingham City and won, 2-0. Wolverhampton Wanderers hosted Chelsea, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. And Sheffield United hosted Liverpool, and it ended in a 3-3 draw. Manchester United? They were stuck in Division Two, and nearly got relegated from that. On this day, they visited Lincoln City, and lost, 5-1.

In America, baseball and football were out of season. There was no NBA yet. Two games were played in the NHL. The Montreal Maroons beat the Boston Bruins, 4-2 at the Montreal Forum. And the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Ottawa Senators, 7-3 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.