The Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, commonly nicknamed the "Wolves," are one of the oldest football clubs still operating in the English Premier League. The team plays their matches in the West Midlands region of England at Molineux Statium, which has stood in the same spot since 1889. Their local rivals are West Bromwich Albion F.C. and Aston Villa F.C.
Founding
The club was founded in 1877 by a group of students from St. Luke's School in Wolverhampton and were originally called "St. Luke's." Two years later they merged with a local cricket club called the Blakenhall Wanderers and assumed their modern name. They were a founding member of the Football League in 1888. In 1893 the team won their first FA Cup.
Stan Cullis
In 1948 Stan Cullis, a standout former player and team captain for the Wolves, was appointed manager. He soon led his team to a decade of fame and glory using a "kick and rush" playing style that depended on long passes, speed and exceptional physical fitness on the part of the players. Wolverhampton won two FA Cup titles and three first division championships between 1948 and 1964, the years of Cullis' tenure. The 1950s also saw the introduction of floodlights to Molineux Stadium and the broadcast of some of Wolverhampton's games on live television for the first time. One of those games was the 1954 friendly match against Honved of Hungary, who had defeated the English National Team side twice in a row. The Wolves won that hard-fought match 3-2 in a game that's considered pivotal for raising the international profile of English soccer, and which also helped spur the creation of the European Cup.
Overseas
One remarkable episode in Wolverhampton's history involves their wholesale export overseas. In 1967, the United Soccer Association was launched in the United States. The nascent league imported a clean dozen clubs from Europe and South America to play soccer on U.S. soil. The team played one season as the Los Angeles Wolves and won the league title that year before returning to England.
Decline
While the Wolves had moments of brilliance in the 1970s, by the time the 1980s rolled in the club was in serious decline. It had slipped from the first division all the way down to the fourth tier. Molineux Stadium was in danger of being condemned and the club itself was deeply in debt. The local city council stepped in to facilitate a bailout and Wolverhampton began its slog back up the ranks.
Sir Jack Hayward
After several ownership changes, the club was sold to businessman and lifelong fan Sir Jack Hayward in 1990. He rebuilt the stadium and payed off the club's debts. Nonetheless, it took until 2003 for Wolverhampton to return to the first division.
Premiership Hopes
In 2007, Jack Hayward sold the club to businessman Steve Morgan. Two years later in 2009, Wolverhampton returned to the Premier League. They held onto their spot in the top division for the 2010 season, the first time they'd managed to hold onto their spot in the top flight for more than one season since 1981.
Notable Players
Notable players for the Wolverhampton Wanderers, past and present, include Billy Wright, who captained England's national team through the 1950s and earned a record-setting 90 appearances, or caps, as captain and 105 as a player. Steve Bull holds Wolverhampton's record for top goalscorer with 306 total goals earned between 1986 and his retirement in 1999. He also holds the club's single-season record for goals with 52 scored in the 1987 season. Robbie Keane, Ireland's current captain, started his career with Wolverhampton. The club's current goalkeeper as of the 2010-2011 season is Marcus Hahnemann, who also plays for the U.S national team.
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