Jack Howcroft

Biographical information

RolesReferee
SexMale
Full nameJohn Thomas "Jack"•Howcroft
Used nameJack•Howcroft
Born23 October 1874 in Bolton, England (GBR)
Died27 December 1962 in Southport, England (GBR)
NOC Great Britain

Biography

Jack Howcroft was regarded as one of the finest referees of his day and was a strict disciplinarian, but much respected on the field of play. Between 1908-21 he officiated in 18 international matches, with his second match being the Olympic semi-final between Great Britain and Netherlands in 1908. Howcroft was very popular on the continent and played a big part in getting many British coaches jobs abroad. He was a Football League referee for many years, and very distinguishable by the black cap he always wore while refereeing. The highlight of Howcroft’s career was in taking charge of the 1920 FA Cup Final between Aston Villa and Huddersfield Town at Stamford Bridge. After retiring, he became a contributor on refereeing topics to the Sunderland Daily Echo.

Referee

Games Sport (Discipline) / Event NOC / Team Phase Unit Role As
1908 Summer Olympics Football (Football) GBR Jack Howcroft
Football, Men (Olympic) Match #2 Great Britain — Netherlands Referee