View source for Johnny Hancocks

{{Short description|English footballer (1919–1994)}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2009}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Johnny Hancocks
| image = 
| full_name = 
| birth_date = {{birth date|1919|4|30|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Oakengates]], England
| death_date = {{death date and age|1994|2|19|1919|4|30|df=y}}
| death_place = Oakengates, England
| height = 
| position = [[Outside right]]
| youthyears1 = 
| youthclubs1 = Wrekin Schools
| years1 = 
| clubs1 = [[Oakengates Athletic F.C.|Oakengates Town]]
| caps1 = 
| goals1 = 
| years2 = 1938–1939
| clubs2 = [[Walsall F.C.|Walsall]]
| caps2 = 30
| goals2 = 9
| years3 = 1946–1957
| clubs3 = [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]]
| caps3 = 343
| goals3 = 158
| years4 = 1957–1959
| clubs4 = [[Telford United F.C.|Wellington Town]]
| caps4 = 
| goals4 = 
| years5 = 1960
| clubs5 = [[Cambridge United F.C.|Cambridge United]]
| caps5 = 
| goals5 = 
| years6 = 
| clubs6 = [[Oswestry Town F.C.|Oswestry Town]]
| caps6 = 
| goals6 = 
| nationalyears1 = 1948–1950
| nationalteam1 = [[England national football team|England]]
| nationalcaps1 = 3
| nationalgoals1 = 2
| manageryears1 = 1957–1959
| managerclubs1 = [[Telford United F.C.|Wellington Town]] (player-manager)
}}

'''Johnny Hancocks''' (30 April 1919 – 19 February 1994) was an English [[association football|footballer]], most associated with [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]].

==Career==
A diminutive figure, standing just 5' 4" with size 6.5 boots although there was a myth that he wore size 3 boots, Hancocks played in the Wrekin Schools team before making his debut for hometown club [[Oakengates Athletic F.C.|Oakengates Town]] in the Birmingham League, aged just 15. In October 1938, he turned professional with [[Walsall F.C.|Walsall]] of the Third Division South and played a full season of league football there.

The outbreak of [[World War II]] halted his football career, as he joined the army in 1940 and became a physical training instructor. He did, however, manage to make several appearances for the army in representative games and also guested for [[Wrexham A.F.C.|Wrexham]] and [[Shrewsbury Town F.C.|Shrewsbury Town]].

With the resumption of league football, Hancocks was signed by [[Football League First Division|First Division]] side [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]] on 11 May 1946 for £4,000, making his debut on 31 August 1946 in a 6-1 thrashing of [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]. He claimed his first goal for the club in another 6–1 victory on 12 October, against [[Huddersfield Town]], and added 9 more in his debut season. The following season, he was even more prolific, finishing as joint top scorer (alongside [[Jesse Pye]]) with 16.

Such form won him a call-up to the [[England national football team|England team]]. He made his international debut on 2 December 1948 in a 6-0 hammering of [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] at [[Arsenal Stadium|Highbury]], during which Hancocks scored twice. Despite his goalscoring debut, the likes of [[Stanley Matthews]] and [[Tom Finney]] saw him overlooked until October 1949 for his next cap (vs [[Wales national football team|Wales]]), and he subsequently managed only one more cap (vs [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]] in November 1950).

Although international acclaim eluded him, Hancocks enjoyed success at club level as his goals helped fire Wolves to their first league title in [[1953–54 in English football|1953–54]]. Months later, he famously scored a penalty [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. v Budapest Honvéd FC|in a friendly]] against [[Budapest Honvéd FC|Budapest Honvéd]]. He also collected an [[FA Cup]] winners medal in 1949, playing in the 3-1 [[1949 FA Cup final|final win]] over [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]], and later scored in the subsequent [[1949 FA Charity Shield|Charity Shield]] draw with [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]].

He finished as top goalscorer for the club in the [[1954–55 in English football|1954–55]] and [[1955–56 in English football|1955–56 seasons]]. In total, Hancocks scored 168 goals for Wolves in 378 appearances, making him the fourth highest goalscorer in the club's history. His tally of 158 top-flight goals is still a club record.

Despite his goals, he fell out of favour with manager [[Stan Cullis]], and after the signing of [[Harry Hooper (footballer born 1933)|Harry Hooper]] in 1956, he was relegated to the reserves. After a season out in the cold, he left the [[Molineux Stadium|Molineux]] club to become player/manager of non-league [[Telford United F.C.|Wellington Town]] in 1957.

He took up the managerial reins in September 1959, and left the club later that year. He finished the 1959–60 season with [[Cambridge United F.C.|Cambridge United]]. The following season, he spent spells at [[Oswestry Town F.C.|Oswestry Town]] then [[GKN Sankey F.C.|GKN Sankeys]], before retiring in 1961, aged 42.

After his playing career ended, he worked at RAF Cosford 1974/75/76. he worked at the ironfounders Maddock & Sons in his native [[Oakengates]], until taking retirement on his 60th birthday in 1979. He died on 19 February 1994 aged 74.

==Honours==
'''Wolverhampton Wanderers'''
* [[Football League First Division|First Division]]: [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season 1953–54|1953–54]]; runners-up: [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season 1949–50|1949–50]], [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season 1954–55|1954–55]]
* [[FA Cup]]: [[1949 FA Cup final|1949]]
* [[FA Community Shield|FA Charity Shield]] shared: [[1949 FA Charity Shield|1949]]

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070813094515/http://www.wolves.premiumtv.co.uk/page/GoldenOldies/0,,10307~65157,00.html Official Wolves site profile]
*{{Englandstats}}

{{Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Hall of Fame}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hancocks, Johnny}}
[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Oakengates]]
[[Category:English men's footballers]]
[[Category:England men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football wingers]]
[[Category:Oakengates Athletic F.C. players]]
[[Category:Walsall F.C. players]]
[[Category:Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players]]
[[Category:Telford United F.C. players]]
[[Category:Cambridge United F.C. players]]
[[Category:GKN Sankey F.C. players]]
[[Category:Oswestry Town F.C. players]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:English Football League representative players]]
[[Category:English football managers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]