27 October 1906 - The Death Of David Wilson

On 27 October 1906, Leeds City forward David "Soldier" Wilson died of an apparent heart attack during a match against Burnley. He was 23 years old.

Wilson had debuted for Leeds only the previous December, after transferring from Hull City for a fee of £150. A gifted passer, he proved also to be a prolific scorer, tallying 13 goals in 15 games that first season, enough to make him the club's top scorer. Injuries plagued him, though--he missed eight matches at the end of the 1905-06 season and missed a few others at the start of the next one.

By the time Leeds hosted Burnley at Elland Road in October, Wilson had appeared in a total of five matches that fall and had not scored in any of them. It was a physical match, with Leeds inside-left Jack Lavery taking a knock that greatly reduced his effectiveness. Then, after 60 minutes, with the match scoreless, Wilson withdrew to the locker room complaining of heavy chest pains.

About 15 minutes later, another injury forced Leeds left winger Harry Singleton to retire from the match. With Singleton out and Lavery still hurt, Wilson decided to return to the pitch despite his own pain and against the advice of others. The Yorkshire Evening Post later reported that "Though his chest was very sore, Wilson said he could not remain there while the Leeds City team were in such straits."

After only a few minutes, the pain became so great that Wilson again withdrew. He stepped into a hot bath, where he soon lost consciousness, then died from what was later diagnosed as heart failure. The match was still in progress, with Burnley taking a late goal to win 0-1.

Prior to Wilson's death, at least six other footballers had died from injuries sustained while playing, but he was the first to die during a match. His wife later laid much of the responsibility for his death on cigarettes, noting that had been a very heavy smoker.

17 October 1919 - When They Said Everything Was For Sale, They Meant It

On 17 October 1919, Leeds City FC held an auction to dispose of the club's assets, including the players. They all sold, at prices ranging from £1,250 to £100.

The auction was the result of a scandal that saw the club expelled from the Football League. Earlier that summer, Charlie Copeland, a disgruntled former Leeds City player who had recently moved to Coventry on a free transfer, publicly alleged that the club had made illegal payments to players during the war years. The Football League and the Football Association formed a joint commission to investigate the allegations and gave Leeds City a deadline of 6 October to produce their financial books.

The deadline came and went, but the club refused to produce the documents. As a result, the League expelled them and the FA issued an order closing the club. Five club officials, including manager Herbert Chapman, were banned for life (though Chapman's ban was lifted after he provided evidence that he was not involved in the illegal payments).

The Metropole Hotel in Leeds hosted the auction to dispose of the club's assets, including kits, training equipment, goalposts, and all sixteen members of the squad. Billy McLeod fetched the highest price, moving to Notts County for £1,250, with Harry Millership and John Hampson going for £1,000 each (to Rotherham County and Aston Villa, respectively). The lowest price was £100, paid by Lincoln City for Francis Chipperfield.

10 June 1925 - The Greatest Gunner

On 10 June 1925, Herbert Chapman resigned as manager of Huddersfield Town to accept the same position with Arsenal.

Chapman enjoyed a long but itinerant playing career as a forward in England from 1895 to 1909, changing clubs every couple of years. In 1907, he started his managerial career as player-manager of Northampton Town before moving to Leeds City in 1912.

Chapman left Leeds City in 1918 amid a brewing scandal about illegal player payments. The club refused to allow the Football League to examine their financial records, which led the League to expel Leeds City in October 1919. The League also issued lifetime bans on five club officials, including Chapman. The club dissolved and its Elland Road grounds were soon taken over by the newly-formed Leeds United.

After a brief period out of football, Chapman successfully appealed his ban and joined Huddersfield Town as assistant manager in February 1921. He became the full manager in March and led the club to the FA Cup trophy in the 1921-22 season and the league titles in the 1923-24 and 1924-25 seasons.

In 1925, Arsenal lured Chapman away by doubling his salary to £2,000. Arsenal finished second that year, five points behind Huddersfield Town. In 1930, Chapman's Arsenal defeated Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup Final, claiming the Gunners' first major trophy. Additional successes soon followed, with league titles in 1930-31 and 1932-33.

He is credited with introducing several innovations to the game, including early adoption of the 3-2-2-3 "WM" formation, putting numbers on the players' shirts, and encouraging physical fitness through the use of strict training plans and physiotherapists. At Arsenal, he is perhaps best known for adding white sleeves to the Gunners' red shirts.

Chapman stayed with Arsenal until his death on 6 January 1934 from pneumonia.