“The Bald Eagle”, as Jim Smith was known to fans and rivals alike, was one of the most reassuring faces in football. As a player he had lengthy spells in the lower and non-leagues with the likes of Halifax and Boston, but it was as a manager that he’ll forever be remembered. He spent nearly 40 years in the dugout, starting off in 1969 as player-manager at Boston and ending it in 2008 with a caretaker stint with Oxford. In between those spells he won promotion on five different occasions, the final one of those taking Derby County to the Premier League back in 1995. He managed three consecutive top-half finishes and even bagged himself a “Manager of the Month” award back in 1996. He was rightly admitted to the League Managers Association Hall of Fame on retirement.
Jim Smith
17 October 1940 – 10 December 2019
Died aged 79 (unique pick)