Joe Hulme was born in 1904 in Staffordshire. He played Midland League football with City in our very first 2 pre Football League days before going onto glory with Arsenal and England.

Brought up in York, Joe Hulme was a schoolboy centre half or wing half. On signing professional forms for City, as an 18 year old, he was converted to outside right (right wing) where he made 28 Midland League appearances, scoring 3 goals. Making his debut in April 1923, he quickly gained a reputation for his speed and the accuracy of his crosses.

He joined Blackburn Rovers in February 1924 for a total of £300. He quickly made his mark in Division 1. He made 74 appearances scoring 6 goals in 18 months. Blackburn also visited Fulfordgate to play a friendly against City as part of the deal.

At City, his most memorable game was probably the 9-0 defeat away to Grimsby Town Reserves in December 1923. Crossing the River Humber by ferry, the boat went off course and was grounded by a sand bank. Once freed, the team arrived late and with little preparation were badly defeated, the game ending in darkness.

A later move to Arsenal in February 1926 brought more fame. He played a major role in the Arsenal side that won 5 Championships and 2 FA Cups in the 1930s.

Signed by the legendary Herbert Chapman for £3,500, he spent 12 years at Highbury and was an important member of their all conquering side. He was an immediate success. As Jeff Harris noted in his book, "Arsenal Who's Who", "By the end of the first season Hulme's startling pace had become his trade mark, his main trick being to push the ball past the opposing full-back then tear past him as if he never existed".

By 1933, injuries and loss of form were talking their toll. Although not a regular, he stayed at Arsenal until 1938. His last appearance came against Liverpool on 18 December 1937.

In all he scored 125 goals in 374 appearances for the Gunners, the club's 8^th top scorer of all time. He also played 9 times, scoring 4 goals, for England and also represented The Football League. During his Arsenal years, he helped the club to 4 Championships and 2 FA Cup victories.

Hulme left Arsenal for Huddersfield in January 1938, where he saw out the rest of his career. He picked up a FA Cup runners-up medal in 1938, his fifth and record breaking FA Cup Final appearance. It was also his last appearance as he announced his retirement shortly after the game.

A fine all round sportsman, Hulme played 225 times for Middlesex between 1929 and 1939 as a right handed middle order batsman, medium fast bowler and outstanding fielder, where he put his football agility and speed to good use. His cricketing career ended with 8,103 runs, 89 wickets and 110 catches. He was also a fine billiards player and golfer.

After the war, he worked as a reserve policemen before joining Spurs as Assistant Secretary and later managed the club between 1945 and 1949, unfortunately, he achieved little in the way of managerial honours. Although his legacy was to lay the foundations for their 1950/1 championship winning side. Then followed a career as a sports journalist with "The People" until his retirement in 1964.

At the age of 87, Joe Hulme died in London in September 1991.