Wolves mourn passing of beloved chairman
- the-thread
- Jan 13, 2015
- 2 min read
Former Wolves Chairman Sir Jack Hayward has passed away after months of battling an illness at his Fort Lauderdale residence, Florida, aged 91.
By Scott Edwards
The news broke just before Wolves kicked off their FA Cup 3rd Round Replay against Fulham, that the former Wolverhampton Wanderers Chairman Sir Jack Hayward, had passed away.
Although never keen to put his laces through the ball, Sir Jack was responsible for overseeing major developments to the Molineux Stadium, turning it from a decaying ground to one of the first all seated stadiums in the country. He was also known for being a passionate footballing person when it came to looking after players and managers such as Paul Ince, Kenny Miller, Matt Murray, Mick McCarthy and other esteemed names that had magnificent spells at the club during his time.
An official statement from the Official Wolves Website read ‘he will forever remain an integral part of the folklore of the club he loved… in truth, we may never see the likes of him again.’
Born in Dunstall in 1923, Sir Jack spent his childhood weekends creeping under the turnstiles of Molineux to get a glimpse of his heroes kicking their way to glory. In 1941, he joined the RAF and was based in India during the war against the Japanese on the Indo/Burmese border. Sir Jack earned his millions as one of the first to redevelop the then baron isles of the Bahamas, owning several companies and building the airport, sea port and later developing water and electricity companies, bringing prosperity to the region.
In 1990, Hayward bought Wolves for £2.1 million and immediately implemented the plans for the way Molineux still looks today.
The OBE sold Wolves to current chairman Steve Morgan for just £10 back in 2007, after spending £70 million on the club during his 17 year tenure.
The selfish act of selling his beloved club was repaid two years later when Wolves were promoted in the 2008/09 season, to the Premier League as Champions and then enduring a further three years playing in the best league in the world.
The club held a 1 minutes silence before the start of their FA Cup 3rd Round Replay with Fulham this evening before an entertaining encounter in the snow.
He will be sorely missed by everyone at Wolves and never forgotten.
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