Bob McGrory
Robert Gerald McGrory (17 October 1891 – 24 May 1954) was a Scottish footballer who played in the Football League for Burnley and Stoke City with whom he later had a long spell as manager.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Gerald McGrory | ||
| Date of birth | 17 October 1891 | ||
| Place of birth | Bishopton, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 24 May 1954 (aged 62) | ||
| Place of death | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Full-back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1914–1920 | Dumbarton | 212 | (0) |
| 1918 | → Partick Thistle (guest) | 1 | (0) |
| 1920–1921 | Burnley | 3 | (0) |
| 1921–1935 | Stoke City | 479 | (0) |
| Total | 695 | (0) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1935–1952 | Stoke City | ||
| 1953 | Merthyr Tydfil | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
McGrory played football with Dumbarton before joining English side Burnley in August 1920. After only making three appearances for the Clarets he signed for Stoke City in May 1921. He soon became an indispensable part of Tom Mather's first team and was made club captain, skippering the side to promotions in 1926–27 and 1932–33. He spent 15 seasons as a player for Stoke, racking up 511 appearances without scoring.
He took over as Stoke manager in 1935, and in his first season in charge guided the team to a highest finish of 4th. World War II disrupted what could have been a successful spell for Stoke, but in the first season after the war they made their first real attempt to win the First Division, but an ongoing dispute with star winger Stanley Matthews saw him leave for Blackpool just before the end of the season and Stoke went on to lose their must-win match against Sheffield United. McGrory remained in charge until 1952 when he ended his 31-year association with the club. He spent a short spell in charge of Merthyr Tydfil, leaving after one season due to ill health and dying a year later.