Why are Man Utd wearing black armbands against Chelsea, who was Harry Gregg and was he in the Munich air disaster?
MANCHESTER UNITED legend Harry Gregg sadly passed away having enjoyed a fruitful but also traumatic 15-year playing career in football. Gregg died at the age of 87, having also featured internationally for Northern Ireland before taking up management. Man Utd are facing Chelsea as the two sides return from their winter break tonight at the […]
MANCHESTER UNITED legend Harry Gregg sadly passed away having enjoyed a fruitful but also traumatic 15-year playing career in football.
Gregg died at the age of 87, having also featured internationally for Northern Ireland before taking up management.
Man Utd are facing Chelsea as the two sides return from their winter break tonight at the Bridge.
And the Red Devils will be wearing black armbands to remember one of the clubs most decorated and popular figures.
Who was Harry Gregg?
Gregg was born on October 27, 1932, in Magherafelt in Northern Ireland.
To make ends meet, the former goalkeeper worked as an apprentice joiner while playing for Linfield’s reserve team, Windsor Park Swifts.
From there, he joined Coleraine’s youth side, before earning a move to Doncaster Rovers at the age of 18.
After five years at the Dons, he joined Manchester United for £23,000 – a world record fee for a goalkeeper at the time.
There he stayed for nine years, playing 210 times for the Red Devils, but never managing to win a medal.
A shoulder injury ruled him out of their FA Cup final victory in 1963, at a time when you had to play to earn a medal.
Meanwhile, he was sidelined for much of their 1964-65 title-winning season meaning Gregg didn’t qualify to take home his own silverware.
He later joined Stoke City, but retired just six months later.
Gregg also played 25 times for Northern Ireland, and was voted goalkeeper of the 1958 World Cup after helping them to the quarter-finals before losing to France.
The ex-shot stopper turned to management after he hung up his football boots, taking charge of Shrewsbury Town, Swansea City, Crewe Alexandra and Carlisle United in a 19-year coaching career.
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Was he a part of the Munich air disaster?
Gregg was one of the famous Busby Babes who were among the 21 survivors from the plane crash.
Having stopped to refuel in Munich following a European Cup match in Belgrade, the aircraft went through a fence past the runway causing a wing to tear off before the fuselage hit a hut filled with tyres and fuel, which exploded.
Of the 44 on board, 20 died instantly while a further three passed away in hospital later.
Gregg was among those to survive and after regaining consciousness, he helped several of the other passengers get to safety.
Among those were teammates Bobby Charlton and Dennis Viollet, along with manager Matt Busby and wife and daughter of a Yugoslavian diplomat – Vera and Vesna Lukic.
