Buster’s Story
Dad and me … summer 1958 (two years old).
My first soccer ball, shirt and shorts - Christmas 1961 (five years old).
A ‘flying bomb’ just before it hit a London row house. It’s identical to what happened across from my parents’ house causing the bomb site where we played football!
Reminiscent of the bomb site opposite our house… before clean-up!
11 years old – London Cup Final – wearing Slazenger ‘steel-toe-capped’ boots.
Charlton Colts Team 1974: Back row: Coach Peter Shreeves, Harold Powell, Danny Jennings, Graham Tutt, Les Berry, Alan Pacey, Ben Odeje. Front row: Mark Wright, Mark Penfold, Peter Mills, Alan Hart, M Bailey.
Charlton Athletic 1975/76 Season: Back row: Les Berry, Jimmy Giles, Graham Tutt, Colin Powell, Bobby Goldthorpe. Middle row: Arthur Horsfield, Bobby Curtis, George Hope, Mark Penfold, Harry Cripps, Richie Bowman, Mike Flanagan, Ray Tumbridge. Front row: Phil Warman, Peter Hunt, David Young, Derek Hales, Keith Peacock.
Revenge on Malcolm Allison, the Crystal Palace manager. He told me 18 months earlier while playing for Crystal Palace Colts team, and in earshot of other players ‘Gotta let you go … you are not good enough.’ I had the last laugh. Thanks Mal … it made me even more determined to make the grade and go pro at 17 years old.
With the ‘New Boss’ Andy Nelson.
Broken nose, eyelid lacerations, fractured cheek and orbit resulting in permanent double vision.
Nurse Hilary Riseborough was my "Florence Nightingale" when I was hurting from my injury. When I thought I was going to die with blood cutting off my air supply she kept me calm, I owe her a lot!
Testimonial match poster: Malcolm Macdonald, England and Newcastle striker playing up front with the incomparable Derek Hales as guest players. Charlton won 3-2. Plus a unique All Star Goalkeepers XI versus Television and Radio All Star team preceded the main Charlton versus Sunderland game.
Thanking the pre-game All Star Goalkeepers XI and TV/Radio All Star team on my testimonial night.
The unique All Star Goalkeepers XI … Goalkeepers from far left: Pat Jennings, Spurs and Northern Ireland. Third person, Peter Shearing, West Ham and former England youth and my goalkeeper and assistant coach at Charlton. Fourth person, Peter Mellor, Fulham. Fifth, John Dunn, Charlton and former Aston Villa. Sixth, John Jackson, Crystal Palace. Seventh, Bob Wilson, Arsenal and BBC TV commentator. Eighth, Mervyn Day, West Ham and England U-21. Ninth, Graham Horn, Luton Town. Eleventh, Tony Burns, Crystal Palace. The Goalkeepers XI won 3-2 against Dennis Waterman and Theo Foley’s Television and Radio All Stars. Top football commentators Brian Moore, John Motson and Tony Gubba are also in attendance.
Testimonial Game Programme
Arcadia Shepherds, South Africa, 1978. Note height of the security fence. Back row: Head coach Kai Johansen, Peter Frelich, Nathan Sacks, Gerry Queen, Graham Tutt, Dave Herholt, Maurice Hepworth, Steve Ingle, Plonkie Naude, assistant coach Roy Matthews. Front row: Starting third from left; Spoedie Bronkhorst, Alex Morrison, Robbie De Graff, Vincent ‘Tanti’ Julius, Johnny Ferrera.
Coming for a cross, in my first Atlanta Chiefs game at Lockhart Stadium, home of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. ‘If he can’t see the ball he can’t score.’ I had punched it away with my right fist. We lost 1-0 in five 5-second ‘one on one’ shoot-outs from 35 yards. Much more exciting than penalty kicks. There were no draws or ties.
Celebrating the shoot-out save and victory with Brian Kidd, David Byrne and Hayden Knight. Brian Kidd was an incredible striker. He went back to play for Manchester United and was later assistant coach under Alex Ferguson for many years. Brian continues his career as an assistant coach at Manchester City. He’s the best example of how a pro player should be on and off the field.
Playing for Columbus Magic against New York United at Shea Stadium, NY.
Player community appearances were frequent. We did some pioneering, that’s for sure. This player appearance was at the Stone Mountain Spring Festival in 1981.
Georgia Generals 1982.
The Georgia Generals 1982: Top row: Guilio Bernardi, Jose Netto, Danny Nevin, Griff Sims, Charlie Greene, Mark MaKain. Centre row: Danny Payne, Mark Turner, Robbie Olsen. Front row: Head coach David ‘Chaddy’ Chadwick, Kevin Fouser, Craig Scarpelli, Greg Willin, Aiden McKenzie, Peter Carr, Mike Balson, John Bapst, Graham Tutt, Sonny Askew, physio Mike Sabatelle. Standing on the General Steam Train at Stone Mountain.
Playing goalkeeper and as a striker. Left: At the Silver Dome in Detroit with my Georgia Generals captain Mike Balson. Right: Silver Dome again but two weeks later – playing as a striker in the play-offs. We had so many injured players Chaddy had not much choice but to play me up front. My capable back-up keeper Craig Scarpelli went in goal. We lost in overtime 1-0 to the Detroit Express. It was my last professional game, 1982.
‘The Ambulance’. This was my promotional vehicle in 1983. It was a 1970 ambulance from Dobbins Air Force Base in Marietta, GA. It could transport over 300 inflated soccer balls and four sets of portable goals for my weekly soccer camps. Note: The Ambulance had a spotlight and a siren that worked! Great for getting home early in heavy traffic!
First soccer camp at Life University with over 100 campers. Keith Ingram, far right, was my Brilliant camp director for ten years.
Life University team photo. Note the time on the clock at 5:44pm. The team photo was scheduled for 2pm. I eventually went looking for Dr Sid (front and centre) and drove him from his home back for the photo. Not bad for Dr Sid being only three hours and 44 minutes late. If the photo was taken without Dr Sid I would have been likely fired!
Lizzie, the love of my life. Taken just before we went up in the hot air balloon where I proposed to her a few thousand feet in the air. We were married six months later.
I am continuing to fuel my football passion, pursuing my goal to set up a mixed-gender indoor soccer league.
With the world’s greatest and most popular player, Pele. Taken at a Zoo Atlanta fundraiser. We did a soccer clinic earlier in the day. Pele was a total pleasure to work with. No wonder they called him The King.
Being honoured as a former Atlanta Chief and pioneer for soccer in 2018. Taken before an Atlanta United MLS game in the new Mercedes Benz Stadium. It was a nice surprise showing appreciation for 38 years of promoting and developing soccer in Georgia. Liz and I were both escorted on to the field before the game where they made the announcement. It was an emotional moment for Liz and I. We had gone full circle in our soccer careers, culminating in over 70 years of Liz and I coaching and promoting soccer in the Atlanta area.
Taken during the pre-game recognition – game attendances range from 50,000 to 70,000. At last after nearly 40 years of helping promote the game Pro Soccer had arrived!
‘Saint’ Jerry Wilson at the Gwinnet Arena Exhibition Game on my 50th birthday.
Theo Foley, my mentor, on his 70th birthday at Charlton’s 100-year anniversary celebration in 2005. Theo encouraged me to be the best that I could possibly be. I still love him! Sadly Theo passed in 2020.
The media used my Atlanta Chiefs diving save to promote the announcement of the Atlanta United MLS team in 2016.
"Never Give Up" is a personal motivation, written on a divider made by Buster’s son Billy when he was 11 years old. It kept him motivated in the early stages of forming an indoor soccer league.
“I look at Billy's day time divider every day - it keeps me focused on the ultimate goal of developing a national /international Co Ed Men and Women Indoor Pro Soccer League. The first of its kind!”
- Graham ‘Buster’ Tutt