'Raich' Carter, born in Sunderland, was a member of the 1935-6 league championship side, an inside-left who could create and score with equal facility. He was the first Sunderland captain to lift the FA Cup, in 1937, and also played for England on 13 occasions, mostly during World War II. It was during the war that he met Peter Doherty, then of Manchester City, and both signed for Derby in 1945. The two best inside-forwards of their generation led their club to victory in the first post-war cup final.
On the field, Carter was demanding and authoritative. When he moved into player-management with Hull City in 1948, he took them to the divisional title. Home gates averaged over 30,000. Later management posts included Leeds and Middlesbrough, but Carter never suffered fools gladly, and clubs were wary of him. As Gerald Mortimer said in his Guardian obituary, at a book-signing in Derby, he never had to move. His personality filled the room as it had the football field.