Billy Wright – Golden memories of a Wolves legend at 100
He would have turned 100 tomorrow – and yet the lustre of the Billy Wright legend lives on undiminished.
Born in Ironbridge on February 6, 1924, has there ever been a greater player to don the gold shirt of Wolves or, for that matter, the white shirt of England?
He led Wolves through years of glory and illustrious achievement.
He was the first England player to receive 100 caps.
On and off the field he was a dignified ambassador for the game, a gentleman who was an inspiration to players and fans everywhere, who never received a caution or a red card.
And his marriage to singing star Joy Beverley was a foretaste of the fusion of celebrity and sport which is so familiar today.
For a small, fair-haired lad, who enjoyed kickabouts on Gorby's Bridge at Madeley Wood, he was to go a long way.
As so often, his talent was in the genes, as his dad Tommy Wright was an able footballer who played in local teams.
"I could see Billy was born to football. He took to it naturally," he was to recall.
Tommy, who had a job at the Coalbrookdale Works, added: "We often used to play with a tennis ball in the house and broke many a gas mantle.
