George Curtis (footballer born 1919)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Frederick Curtis | ||
| Date of birth | 3 December 1919 | ||
| Place of birth | West Thurrock, Essex, England | ||
| Date of death | 17 November 2004 (aged 84) | ||
| Place of death | Basildon, Essex, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Playing position | Inside forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 19??–1936 | Anglo (Purfleet) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1936–1947 | Arsenal | 13 | (0) |
| 1936–1938 | → Margate (loan) | ||
| 1947–1952 | Southampton | 174 | (11) |
| 1952–1953 | Valenciennes | ||
| 1953–1954 | Chelmsford City | ||
| Teams managed | |||
| 1961–1963 | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| 1968 | San Diego Toros | ||
| 1969–1970 | Rosenborg | ||
| 1971–1974 | Norway | ||
| 1976 | Rosenborg | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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George Frederick Curtis (3 December 1919 – 17 November 2004) was an English professional footballer and coach, who played as an inside forward.
Curtis played as a youth for Anglo (Purfleet) before signing for Arsenal in December 1936. He spent over a year at Arsenal's nursery club, Margate, before returning to Highbury in February 1938; he made his Arsenal debut against Blackpool on 10 April 1939 and made one other appearance that season. World War II intervened that September and he spent the war serving in the Royal Air Force stationed in India, but also played over 50 wartime matches for Arsenal. He also appeared as a guest player for West Ham United later in World War II.
After hostilities ended he played 12 times in the 1946–47 season, but was sold to Southampton in part-exchange for Don Roper in summer 1947; in all he played 14 times for the Gunners, never scoring.
Curtis had impressed Southampton manager Bill Dodgin who valued him at £10,000, in an exchange transfer that also saw Tom Rudkin arrive at The Dell, with Don Roper moving to Highbury.
Nicknamed Twinkletoes by his team-mates, Curtis was a clever, nimble player, whose feints and tricks were appreciated by the supporters, although they often frustrated his colleagues. 'Soccer Star' magazine described Curtis as an "inside-forward-cum-wing-half".
During his five seasons at Southampton the club narrowly missed out on promotion to Division 1 for three seasons in a row; in 1947–48 they finished in third place, a feat repeated the following season (despite having an 8-point lead with 8 games to play) whilst in 1949–50 they were to be denied promotion by 0.06 of a goal, missing out on second place to Sheffield United.
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