Planet Swans ArchivesMaking the announcement at the annual awards dinner, Swansea City Supporters Trust Chairman Phil Sumbler explained that the Hall of Fame would see 100 players inducted at the rate of 10 a year over the course of the next 10 years at the event.
The players would be inducted in no particular order and have been chosen as players who have played a pivotal part in the club's history and were not intended to represent necessarily a list of the 100 greatest players.
Discussions were said to be ongoing with the Stadium Management Company for a suitable commemoration at the Stadium for the Hall of Fame and further details on this would be announced in due course.
Kevin Johns then read out the first ten inductees as follows: –
Having signed for the club for the princely sum of £1,280, this player is just one of a select few to have scored over 100 times for the club. Made 167 league appearances for the club, scoring on 102 occasions including an impressive nine league hat-tricks. Capped 6 times for Wales, the first inductee into the Hall of Fame is Jack Fowler
Whilst Jack played just 102 times, this player made 549 league appearances over 13 years at the club, scoring just 3 league goals in the process. He was part of a record breaking side that won what is now the League Two title and he was capped once by Wales – against Brazil at the Millennium Stadium. The second inductee is Roger Freestone
It was just three years at the club for the next player but having started with a hat-trick on his league debut, he went onto score 35 goals in 87 league appearances. A former England international he was signed by John Toshack for £125,000 and is the Swans leading scorer in the top flight – the next inductee is Bob Latchford
The next person could be talked about for a long time for he still has a strong association with the football club. 12 goals in 267 league appearances tells just half a story for a man who has twice been involved in saving the club from oblivion and for that reason we induct Mel Nurse into the hall of fame.
Close on 500 league appearances and over 100 league goals tells you about a long association with the club as well as playing in an FA Cup Semi Final with the Swans in 1964. He was universally popular amongst supporters and the fifth inductee is Herbie Williams
The sixth inductee is again someone who needs little introduction and a brief one is not appropriate. 358 league appearances, 95 league goals and almost 40 years on from his league debut it gives me great pleasure to announce Alan Curtis as the 6th inductee.
The next player made just 55 league appearances for the club but incredibly netted 43 goals in those games. 35 goals in his debut season remains a club record and one more season followed befvore injury ended his career but I add Cyril Pearce to the list.
The word legend was invented for people like the next inductee. 422 league appearances and 72 goals tells a small part of the story that also saw this man take charge of the team for 3 years and start the work that was built on so successfully by John Toshack. Sadly he passed away before he could see the results of those foundations but a hugely popular inductee is Harry Griffiths
445 league games and 164 goals as well as a MBE for his services to football is just a top line highlight of a career that – including breaks – spanned for almost 20 years at the club. His statue stands proudly outside the Liberty Stadium and the next inductee is Ivor Allchurch.
The final inductee is someone who made just 57 league appearances for the club, finding the net on 16 occasions. Whilst it was a brief association with the club, there was one game that hugely shaped the future of the club and for his goals in a successful fight against relegation and a final day hat-trick we induct James Thomas into the hall of fame.
