At last night's Football League Awards former Walsall manager Major Frank Buckley was awarded the prestigious 'Contribution to League Football' award.
Buckley’s great grandson, Chris Jones, collected the award on his behalf at the gala ceremony at The Brewery, London, on Sunday evening in front of over 600 guests from clubs, sponsors and the football industry.
Born in Lancashire in 1882, Frank Buckley enjoyed a career as a brave, reliable centre-half with six different Football League clubs, winning a Division Two Championship medal with Derby County in 1912 and earning a solitary England cap.
Following the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, Buckley was one of the first professional footballers to join the so-called ‘Footballers’ Battalion’ and he would go on to become its second in command. During the Somme offensive in July 1916, Major Frank Buckley led his men in the heroic action at Delville Wood – where The Football League’s memorial to the Footballers’ Battalion now stands.
He was badly wounded in the shoulder and lung – ending his playing career and very nearly his life. But he survived and returned to civilian life and the sport he loved. In the process, beginning one of the game’s longest managerial careers that has seen him come to be regarded as one of its great innovators with a fine reputation for discovering talent like Stan Cullis, Billy Wright, John Charles and Jack Charlton.
Known as ‘the Major’ throughout his managerial career, Buckley earned the devotion of his players despite being a stickler for discipline and physical fitness. Having managed Norwich City and Blackpool, he joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1927. During his 17 year stay at Molineux he lifted the club from the brink of relegation to Division 3 to the heights of Division 1, laying the foundations for the great Wolves side of the 1950’s that would go on to dominate English football.
War intervened again and having attempted to enlist at the age of 56, he served his country in the Home Guard. Post-war he went on to manage such clubs as Notts County, Hull City, and Leeds United, where he uncovered John Charles and took charge of over 200 games.
Frank joined Walsall in April 1953 following the resignation of Brough Fletcher over Easter, he went on to manage the club for over two-years and one-hundred games before finally retiring at the ripe old age of 72.
Last December marked the 50th anniversary of his death in 1964, aged 82.