Bob Jack

Robert 'Bob' Jack (born Alloa April 4, 1876, died Southend May 6, 1943) was most famously the football manager of Plymouth Argyle. He was also the club's first professional player. His ashes were scattered over the Home Park pitch on his death. Despite being Scottish, Jack represented England at bowls. He died in 1943 aged 67.

Playing career

Jack, an outside-left, began his career with Alloa Athletic, making his debut at the age of 15 and turning professional in 1893. He moved to Bolton Wanderers in 1895. He was Bolton's leading scorer in the 1896-97 season. He left Bolton in August 1901, joining local rivals Preston North End after scoring 29 goals in 110 league games for Bolton. He spent just one season with Preston, scoring 6 goals in 22 league games, before joining Glossop the following summer. After a further 6 goals in 30 appearances he moved to Burslem Port Vale before becoming Plymouth Argyle's first professional in 1903. He made his Plymouth debut in 1903 against West Ham United in the Western League.

Coaching and managerial career

Jack became player-manager of Plymouth in 1905, but remained at Home Park for only one more season before becoming player-manager of Southend United in 1906. In his first two seasons with Southend they won the Southern League Division Two title and gained election to the Southern League First Division in 1908.

He retired as a player at the end of the 1909-10 season and re-joined Plymouth Argyle as manager, remaining in charge at Home Park until April 1938 when he retired. During his 28 seasons in charge, Jack had guided Argyle to the Southern League title in 1913 and into the Football League in 1920. In their first season in the league they finished 11th in the Third Division, but finished runners-up in all of the next six seasons. They finally clinched the title and promotion in the 1929-30 season.

Jack lived in Southend in his retirement, occasionally working as a scout for his son David while he was manager at Southend. In addition to David, two of his other sons (Rollo and Donald) also played professionally for Bolton Wanderers.

ources

*Plymouth Argyle: 101 Golden Greats ISBN 1-874287-47-3