The Encylopedia of British Football

Noel George

Frank (Noel) George was born in Lichfield on 28th December, 1897. A goalkeeper, he played local football before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1920. In the 1921-22 season Wolves finished in 17th place in the Second Division. However, the following season they finished in last place and were relegated to the Third Division.

Wolves won the Third Division (North) championship in the 1923-24 season. However, over the next couple of seasons they were just an average Second Division side. In May 1927 Major Frank Buckley became the new manager.Over the years Buckley built up a network of football scouts who attempted to discover talented young players. In 1927 he purchased Dai Richards from Merthyr Town. This was followed by Reg Hollingsworth, a centre-half from Sutton Junction and Billy Hartill a centre-forward who was playing for the Royal Horse Artillery and Charlie Phillips from Ebbw Vale.

Noel George was diagnosed as being terminally ill with a disease of the gums and died in 1929. He had played in 292 games for Wolves. His manager, Frank Buckley, was convinced that George's death was due to ill-fitting dentures. From that time on he made sure that all his players who wore dentures were examined by a dentist every six months.