George Hardwick

George Hardwick (February 2, 1920 – April 19, 2004) was an English football player and coach. During his time as an active player, he played left defender for Middlesbrough. He was also a member of the England national football team, playing in 12 international matches and serving as the team's first post-World War II captain.

In 1947, the nations of Great Britain joined together to form a football team, which George captained and lead to victory (6-1) against the rest of Europe.

Due to a knee injury George had to terminate his international career after 12 matches. He is held in high esteem by Middlesbrough fans, and is regarded as the greatest defender in the club's history.

After his career as a player, Hardwick served as player manager for Oldham Athletic and manager for PSV Eindhoven, and, from 1959 to 1961, the Netherlands national football team. He later managed Sunderland A.F.C. and Gateshead.

Today his legacy lives on in the form of The George Hardwick Foundation [http://www.georgehardwickfoundation.org] , a charity dedicated to helping carers, former carers and patients. The Patron is his wife Jennifer, who cared for George during his latter years. They have three main sites at Stockton, Middlesbrough and The University Hospital of North Tees.