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United Kingdom Mick Harford has had a long and impactful career in English football, transitioning from a notable player to a respected manager and chief recruitment officer.
Mick Harford launched 'Prostate FC' to unite football fans, raise awareness of prostate cancer risk factors, fund research, and save lives in every club, following his own battle with the disease.
Mick Harford is a proud Ambassador of Chums, a charity, and has participated in 'An Audience with Mick Harford' events to support their work.
Luton Town FC showed support for Mick Harford after he went public with his prostate cancer diagnosis by replacing their home shirt sponsors, JB Developments, with Prostate Cancer UK for a game.
Michael Gordon Harford, born on February 12, 1959, in Sunderland, began his professional football journey with Lincoln City in 1977. Standing at 6 ft 3 in, Harford established himself as a powerful striker through various clubs including Newcastle United and Bristol City before joining First Division side Birmingham City in 1982. His career progression saw him move to Luton Town in 1984 for a fee of £250,000, where he achieved significant milestones. Harford’s playing career amassed over £2.25 million in transfer fees, a testament to his consistent performance and value across multiple top-tier English clubs. He retired from playing in 1998 with Wimbledon.
Harford’s tenure at Luton Town was particularly impactful. During his first spell as a player from 1984 to 1990, he scored 57 goals in 139 league appearances and earned two caps for England in 1988, the same year he helped Luton defeat Arsenal to win the League Cup. He also scored in the following year’s final. After leaving and returning to Luton as a player in 1991, he transitioned into coaching. His coaching career at Kenilworth Road began in 2001 as assistant coach, contributing to the club’s promotion to Division Two. He later served as director of football and manager, notably leading Luton to victory in the Football League Trophy in 2009 and securing the League One title in 2019 during another interim management spell. Such is his significance to the club and town that he was awarded the freedom of Luton by the local council.
Beyond Luton, Harford held managerial and coaching positions at several other clubs. He was manager of Rotherham United in 2005 and caretaker manager for Nottingham Forest and Queens Park Rangers. He also served as assistant manager at Colchester United, MK Dons, and Millwall, and acted as head of scouting for Millwall. In 2016, he returned to Luton Town as Chief Recruitment Officer, a role he holds currently, focusing on player scouting and recruitment. His career has been marked by dedication to football, both on and off the field, with a particular long-standing association with Luton Town.
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