Graham Hawkins

He had four siblings: Ernie (born 1935) – who drowned at the age of seven, Maureen (born 1950), Susan (born 1954) and Andrew (born 1962).

He attended Addenbrooke Street Primary, Slater Street Secondary Modern Boys School and Wednesbury Technical College.

He represented both Staffordshire Boys and Birmingham Boys, playing as a full-back.

Graham Norman Hawkins (5 March 1946 – 27 September 2016) was an English football player and manager.

During a sixteen-year playing career in the English Football League he made a total of 502 league and cup appearances, scoring eleven goals.

He spent fourteen years coaching and eight years in management, and spent the later years of his life working as a football administrator.

Graham Norman Hawkins was born on 5 March 1946 at 10 Castle Street, Darlaston to Ernest Norman Hawkins – a die miller at a forging works – and Ida Mary Hawkins (née Skitt).

A commanding defender, Hawkins began his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1964, and helped the club to win promotion out of the Second Division in 1966–67.

He made his professional debut in the Black Country derby against West Bromwich Albion on 10 October 1964, which ended in a 5–1 defeat, with West Brom debutant Jeff Astle scoring two of the goals.

Under the stewardship of Andy Beattie, Wolves suffered relegation out of the First Division in 1964–65, though Hawkins did not play in any further games.

His second appearance came on 11 December 1965, when first team defenders David Woodfield and John Holsgrove were both out injured, in a 4–1 victory over Ipswich Town at Molineux.

His third appearance came on 26 Match 1966, when a win at Norwich City started a run of six unbeaten games, and Hawkins kept his place in the team until the end of the 1965–66 season.

He picked up the nickname "Harry the Horse" after manager Ronnie Allen criticised his running technique during pre-season, comparing his face with that of a tired horse.

Wolves secured a return to the top-flight after finishing second in the Second Division in the 1966–67 campaign, though Hawkins spent most of the season on the bench behind Woodfield and Holsgrove.

He also had to spend three months on the sidelines after tearing his ankle ligaments in a clash with Derby County's Kevin Hector.

He did start the game that secured promotion, a 4–1 win at Bury on 22 April, though Wolves missed out on the chance to win the division after losing on the final day of the season.

In the summer he spent three weeks on tour with the club's affiliated soccer team in the United States, Los Angeles Wolves, where he shared a room with Derek Dougan.

He married Jane on 26 June 1967, a secretary from Wolverhampton, who he had first met at the age of 16.

He made seven appearances in the first half of the 1967–68 season, playing his final game for the club in a 3–2 defeat to Manchester United on 30 December.

Preston finished the 1967–68 season just one place above the Second Division relegation zone, before rising to 14th-place in 1968–69 under the stewardship of Bobby Seith, with Hawkins making 42 appearances in all competitions.

He was sold on to Preston North End for a £35,000 fee in January 1968.

Hawkins joined Preston North End for a £35,000 transfer fee on 13 January 1968.

After a slow start to his Deepdale career, primarily due to injury, he became a regular in the starting eleven and was appointed captain by manager Jimmy Milne at the young age of 21.

However, he would relinquish the captaincy after finding it too much of a burden.

They had two sons, Ian (born December 1969) and Richard (born December 1971).

Ian became a financial adviser and played non-League football, whilst Richard attained a PhD in sports science and went on to work for various Football League and Premier League clubs.

In six-and-a-half seasons with Preston he made 269 league and cup appearances, and also served as their captain as they won the Third Division title in 1970–71.

He was sold to Blackburn Rovers for a fee of £18,000 in June 1974.

He was named on the PFA Team of the Year as the club won the Third Division title in 1974–75.

He made 131 league and cup appearances in three-and-a-half seasons at the club before being sold to Port Vale in January 1978 for £6,000.

He worked as a player-coach, but left the club in acrimonious circumstances during the 1979–80 season after he was overlooked for the caretaker manager position.

He served Shrewsbury Town as assistant manager from June 1980 until he was appointed as manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 1982.

In his first season of management, 1982–83, he led the club to promotion out of the Second Division despite budget constraints.

Wolves were relegated out of the First Division the following season and Hawkins was sacked in April 1984.

He then spent six years coaching in the Middle East, with Bahrain SC, Al Hala SC and Al-Arabi SC.

He led Bahrain SC to the Bahraini Premier League title in the 1984–85 season.

Hawkins was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in August 2009.

He later worked as Head of Player Development at the Football League and retired in March 2011.

He died on 27 September 2016, at the age of 70.

Hawkins was spotted playing for Staffordshire Boys by Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) scouts and was taken on as an apprentice on wages of £8-a-week.