William Henry Revis certainly led an interesting life. Born in Nottingham in 1849, Revis went on to become a lace and hosiery manufacturer on Wollaton Street. Following a successful career, he emigrated to America in 1899 where he spent 15 years working as a merchant, importing building materials.
Before heading to America though, Revis was part of a team of ‘shinty’ players that met at the Clinton Arms on Shakespeare Street in Nottingham. Derived from the Irish pastime of hurling, shinty was a team game played with sticks and ball with some similarities to field hockey.
In 1865 the same group of shinty players decided to play association football instead and the Nottingham Reds were formed. Playing in ‘Garibaldi Red’ the team went on to become Nottingham Forest. Revis played in their first official game against Notts County on March 22, 1866 and scored the first goal. He also won the prize for kicking a football furthest, with a kick of 161ft 8 inches.
Aside from his footballing achievements, Revis was a successful businessman. In 1914 he returned to England, settling in Weston-super-Mare where he lived until his death in 1923. In his will he left £10,000 to University College Nottingham together with a portion of his estate.