Wolves FPA are delighted that a plaque to honour club legend Stan Cullis is going to be erected at his former school in Ellesmere Port.
Cullis, a former Wolves captain who went on to become the most successful manager in Molineux history, will be honoured with the plaque at Cambridge Road Primary School.
Former Wolves striker and Chairman of the FPA John Richards will be among the guests at the unveiling ceremony on June 17th, the day before the European Championships meeting between England and Scotland, a fixture that Cullis twice played in.
“Stan Cullis created a Wolverhampton Wanderers team that was the most successful in the club’s history,” says Richards.
“Stan was idolised in Wolverhampton, and quite rightly so.
“Not only did Wolves win three League titles and two FA Cups, he also created a team which could compete at the highest level with the then European giants such as Honved, Moscow Dynamo and Real Madrid.
“His teams set the standard. Our Seventies side, and every other since, is compared to and measured against the successes of the Stan Cullis era.
“He set a high bar which no other team or manager has come close to reaching and his accolade as Wolves greatest ever manager is richly deserved.“
As a player, Cullis was twice a Football League runner-up with Wolves, an FA Cup runner-up in 1939, and won 12 caps for England, as well as 17 more during wartime.
As manager from 1948 to 1964 he led the club to their only three top flight titles to date and FA Cups in 1949 and 1960.
There is a statue of Stan Cullis at Molineux outside the Stand which bears his name, and he is in the club’s Hall of Fame.
Also attending next month’s ceremony will be lifelong Wolves fan and director John Gough, and Stan’s son, Rev Andrew Cullis.
“I was delighted when I heard that Cambridge Road School in Ellesmere Port, where my dad was a pupil, was planning to put up a plaque in his memory,” says Rev Cullis.
“Some years ago I saw the house where my dad lived, and it will be very special to visit the area again and see his old school – and enjoy such a wonderful occasion.”
PFA Chief Executive Gordon Taylor OBE will also be in attendance.
He said: “In order to inspire the next generation of male and female footballers and to encourage all pupils to do their best at sport, the PFA is keen to take the stories of former pupils who became great football stars back into the schools they attended.
“It will be the third time the PFA has unveiled plaques to footballing legends at the schools they attended.
“In 2018, Harry Gregg and Alex Williams performed the joint ceremony to Frank Swift and Jimmy Armfield at Revoe School, Blackpool.
“In 2019 Brian Kidd and John Aston junior did the honours for John Aston senior at Ravensbury Community School, Manchester.
They were both great events in which pupils at the schools played major roles.”
That is the plan again this time around, under the guidance of Darryl Pickering, Cambridge Road Primary School Headteacher.
He said: “Stan Cullis was an outstanding professional and a credit to Cambridge Road Primary School and Ellesmere Port.
“We are working with the children, some of whom will assist with the unveiling, on a series of arts projects associated with Stan Cullis and these will be on display on the day and permanently thereafter.
“Thanks to some local sponsorship we are buying a football trophy and we intend organising a local annual Stan Cullis football tournament.”
The Mayoress of Ellesmere Port, Councillor Lisa Denson, will also attend the ceremony.
