Club History
Sunderland owe their existence to Jimmy Allan, a Scottish teacher at Hendon Board School who formed the Sunderland and District Teachers’ Association FC in 1879. Finances soon persuaded them to admit members from outside the teaching profession, so the club was renamed Sunderland AFC in October 1880. They endured a nomadic early existence, using five grounds before settling at Roker Park in 1898. Elected to the First Division in 1890, Sunderland were the most successful club in the League’s first decade. Backed by shipyard owner Richard Thompson, the ‘Team of All Talents’ won the championship in 1892, 1893, 1895 and 1902, and finished second in 1894, 1898 and 1901, under successive managers Tom Watson, Bob Campbell and Alex Mackie. Another title followed in 1913. Between the wars, Sunderland won the League championship in 1936 and a year later won the FA Cup for the first time. But since their first ever relegation, in 1958, Sunderland have yo-yoed between the divisions. They were promoted in 1964, relegated in 1970, regained top-flight status in 1976, only to lose it again the next season. However, in 1973 they enjoyed their finest hour when, as a Second Division club, they beat Don Revie’s all-powerful Leeds United 1-0 at Wembley to lift the FA Cup. Promoted again in 1980, they went back down in 1985 before slipping into the old Third Division for a season (1987-88). In 1990 they made it back to the First Division via the play-offs, went down again in 1991, reached the FA Cup final in 1992 and gained another promotion in 1996, with Peter Reid as boss. Relegation in 1997 (when the club moved to the new Stadium of Light) was followed by promotion in 1999 and two 7th place Premiership finishes. But in 2003 they went down again, winning just four Premiership games under first Reid, then Howard Wilkinson and Mick McCarthy, who guided the Black Cats back to the Premiership last season as champions. He may have his work cut out to keep them there.