Harry Curtis (football manager)
Curtis pictured in 1926.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Henry Charles Curtis | ||
| Date of birth | 22 January 1890 | ||
| Place of birth | Holloway, England | ||
| Date of death | 30 January 1966 (aged 76) | ||
| Place of death | Southend-on-Sea, England | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Romford | |||
| Walthamstow Grange | |||
| Teams managed | |||
| Gnome Athletic | |||
| 1923–1926 | Gillingham | ||
| 1926–1949 | Brentford | ||
| Tonbridge | |||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Henry Charles Curtis (22 January 1890 – 30 January 1966) was an English footballer, referee and manager, best-remembered for his 23 years as manager of Brentford. He is Brentford's longest-serving and most successful manager to date. In 2013 Football League 125th anniversary poll, Curtis was voted Brentford's greatest-ever manager. He was posthumously inducted into the Brentford Hall of Fame in May 2015.
Curtis had a brief spell as a footballer in his teenage years, playing for Romford and Walthamstow Grange. After his retirement from playing, Curtis became a referee and was quickly added to the Southern League list of referees. In 1918, he was promoted to the Football League list and retired from refereeing in 1923.
Curtis began his managerial career as secretary of amateur club Gnome Athletic.
Curtis entered league management when he became secretary-manager of Third Division South side Gillingham in 1923. He had travelled to Priestfield to watch a match after missing his train to Swansea, where he was to have refereed a match at the Vetch Field that day. He enquired about the then-vacant manager's position and was offered the role. After leading Gillingham to three mid-table finishes, Curtis departed the club in May 1926.
After a chance meeting with Brentford director and former referee Frank Barton, Curtis took over the managerial job at the Third Division South side in May 1926, signing a 12-month contract. He brought Gillingham trainer Bob Kane with him to Griffin Park. Curtis' debut season saw a run to the fifth round of the FA Cup, which yielded enough money to build a grandstand on the Braemar Road side of Griffin Park. In the 1929–30 season, Curtis' Bees side won all 21 home league games, a record which has never been bettered. Curtis also named the same team for 21 games between November 1929 and March 1930.
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