BIO
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Age at Death:
Position:
August 26, 1882
Newbold, England
84 years
Goalkeeper
Click on the Title-Name to go Back
Year
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1903-'05
1905-'12
1912-'21
1921-'25
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22 years
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1907-'20
Club/Team
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Chesterfield
Liverpool
Aston Villa
Nottingham Forest
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Total Club Games
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International Career
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England
Appearances
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71
219
183
109
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582
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​
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21
Synopsis
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Known as “Safe and Steady Sam,” he was the upstart that ultimately put Liverpool goalkeeping legend, Ned Doig on the bench. During his first year with the Club, Hardy supplanted Doig by the ninth game as the Red’s number 1 and then went on to lead the team to a First Division title. Hardy enjoyed seven years with the Reds that mostly coincided with his incredible international career for England consisting of 21 caps over a course of fourteen years.
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Like so many players of this generation, Hardy lost several peak years to the First World War yet still managed to nail down an incredible 582 total league appearances.
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Liverpool ultimately sold Hardy to the Villans in 1912 at a transfer fee that was triple the amount that Tom Watson had signed him for in 1905. During his nine-year tenure at Villa, Hardy added two FA Cup winners’ medals to his resume.
At thirty-nine years young, Hardy signed with Nottingham Forest where the veteran managed to drag his teammates to a Second Division title.
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Peering back through the looking glass, sometimes the best measure of a player’s significance is to read the commentary of his peers from his playing days and in the case of Hardy, there is no shortage of opinion touting him as the best at his position during that time. In fact, if this list were based solely on talent, longevity, consistency and accomplishments, then Hardy would own the number one ranking. That being said, it is “Safe and Steady Sam’s” lack of flamboyance (that no doubt made him a manager’s delight) which is probably the driving force behind current collectors’ lukewarm interest in him as a player.
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Notable Accomplishments & Honors
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FA Cup Winner: 1913 and 1920
First Division Champion: 1906
Second Division Champion 1922
Goalkeeper of the Decade (1910s) Berlin Britz Radio
CARDBOARD NOTES
Being that Hardy spent more than 14 years in the First Division between his time at Liverpool and Villa as well as 13 years as England’s number 1, his career is well documented on cardboard. Sadly, there are no known issues of him that were published contemporaneous with his early beginnings at Chesterfield. Hardy’s first card comes as a Liverpool player and was published in 19___ by ____. However, for those whose collecting habits are not restricted to the Rookie chase, Hardy’s imagery features prominently in some of the rarest and most sought after English sets between 1909 and 1914. Most notably, the 1909 Packer’s Chocolates Set (in several varieties) as well as the iconic 1911 Lovell’s Caricature set. The 1914 Churchman’s Cigarettes is another quality offering and happens to coincide nicely with the start of Hardy’s successful career at Villa.
1909 F&J Smith’s Cup Tie (Dark Blue) #25
1913 Churchman’s Cigarettes #47
