George Hunt

Who was George Hunt?

George Samuel Hunt was an English footballer who played at inside or centre forward.

Born in Mexborough, Yorkshire, Hunt spent his early career playing for local sides in his native county, having trials with both Barnsley and Sheffield United, both of whom rejected him. He eventually joined Chesterfield in 1929 and in his only season there scored nine times in fourteen games.

He moved on from Chesterfield to Tottenham Hotspur in June 1930 and spent seven seasons with the club, and was a prolific goalscorer, hitting 138 goals in 198 matches for Tottenham as they were promoted to the First Division and becoming the club's top scorer for five consecutive seasons, from 1931–32 through to 1935–36. He also won three caps for England during this time, scoring one goal.

His scoring form attracted the attention of Spurs' neighbours and rivals Arsenal, who signed him in 1937, making him the first player to move directly from Spurs to Arsenal since the latter's move to Highbury in 1913. Intended as a replacement for Ted Drake, Hunt made his debut against Manchester City on 2 October 1937 at Highbury, having coincidentally played there for Spurs in a reserve match three days earlier, on 29 September.