Ray: Richard (Dick)

1927-1935 (Manager Details) (Manager Details)

Ray was born at Newcastle-under-Lyme on 4th February 1876. he began his football career with Audley and then Macclesfield in 1893, joining Burslem Port Vale the following year, scoring once in twenty-nine League games and then Crewe Alexandra for the 1895-96 season, but did not make the first team. He moved to Manchester City, at the start of the following season and stayed for over three seasons scoring three times in eighty-three League games. He returned to Non-League football with Macclesfield and Coventry City before returning to Second Division Stockport County for the start of the 1903-04 season. He played thirty-four League games before they were relegated at the end of the season and he joined Second Division Chesterfield Town where he made thirty-one League appearances in the 1904-05 season before signing for Leeds City for the club's inaugural season in the Football League. He served the Leeds clubs loyally as a player, making thirty-eight League appearances, captain and committee- man, secretary and manager. A dependable left back he skippered Leeds before leaving in 1908. An all-round sportsman, he played cricket with Bradford League club Laisterdyke. After hanging up his boots in 1912, Ray served in the RASC in World War One. Following Leeds City's expulsion, he became a member of the original committee formed to get the new United on its feet and before Arthur Fairclough arrived , Ray ran the Midland League side on a shoe-string budget, with considerable skill. After a spell as Fairclough's assistant, he joined Doncaster Rovers as Manager after they were elected to the Third Division North. At Doncaster he signed four Keetley's, Tom, Harry, Joe and Frank, all brothers of Charlie, who was to become one of United's greatest goalscorers. On Fairclough's resignation after relegation from Division One in the 1926-27 season, Ray was installed as Secretary-Manager at Elland Road, responsible for both team selection and playing policy. He was an outspoken character and liked to do things his way and achieved success in developing Bert Sproston, Bill Furness, Eric Stephenson, Wilf Copping, Arthur Hydes, Tom Cochrane and George and Jimmy Milburn into outatanding performers during his eight years in charge. With what was essentially Arthur Fairclough's team he took Leeds back to the first Division at the first attempt in 1927-28, as runners-up. After consolidating with a thirteenth spot on their first season back in the First Division, two years later Leeds had achieved fifth position in the top flight, which was their highest ever position and one that was not achieved again by the club until Don Revie bettered it in the mid 1960s. However the club was getting a reputation as a Yo-Yo team and they slithered to twenty-first and back to the Second Division in the following season of 1930-31, but once again bounced straight back up, as runners-up. Ray's skill as a Manager did not go unnoticed by the Football League administrators, who appointed him the first-ever Team-Manager of a Football League XI for the 2-2 draw at Ibrox against the Scottish League in February 1934 and he received a gold medal for the honour. With Leeds failing to make an impression in Division One, after an eighth spot in 1932-33 and a ninth in 1933-34, Ray resigned his £1,000-a-year job on 5th March 1935 and succeeded Jack Peart as Bradford City Manager the following month but left Valley Parade in February 1938 after the Directors relieved him of team selection. At the age of sixty-two he became Millwall's chief scout but by 1940 he was out of full-time football running a garage business and having an interest in billiard saloons. Ray, who built a solid foundation for subsequent Leeds Managers to build upon, died in St James' Hospital in Leeds on 28th December 1952, aged seventy-six.