David Jack

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other persons named David Jack, see David Jack (disambiguation).

David Bone Nightingale Jack (April 3, 1899 - September 10, 1958) was an English footballer, son of Bob Jack, and the first footballer in the world to be transferred for more than £10,000.

An inside forward, born in Bolton, Lancashire, Jack started his career at his father's club, Plymouth Argyle in 1919, scoring 11 goals in 48 appearances. In 1920 he returned to the town of his birth, moving to Bolton Wanderers for £3,500. He spent eight seasons with the Trotters, forming a formidable partnership with Joe Smith. While at Bolton, he made history by being the first person to score a goal at Wembley Stadium, in the 1923 FA Cup final. A year later, he won his first England cap, the first of nine; he scored three times for his country.

He won the Cup again with Bolton in 1926. In 1928 he was signed by Herbert Chapman's Arsenal for £10,890 (nearly double the previous record); famously, Chapman negotiated the transfer with Bolton's representatives in a hotel bar, his tactic being to drink gin and tonics without any gin in them, while letting the other side drink as much as they possibly could.

Jack was a success at Highbury, becoming a regular straight away, and was the club's top scorer through the late 1920s and early 1930s. He won three League Championship titles and another FA Cup winners medal. By 1933-34 he was reaching the end of his career, and retired after winning his third league medal, in 1934. In all he scored 124 times in 208 matches for Arsenal, making him the ninth-best goalscorer in the club's history.

After retiring from playing, he went on to become manager of Southend United from May 1934 to August 1940, and then Middlesbrough from November 1944 to April 1952. Jack also managed League of Ireland side Shelbourne from the summer of 1953 to April 1955. He died in 1958 aged 59.