William Henry Revis certainly led an interesting life. Born in ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ 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 ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. 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 ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Reds were formed. Playing in ‘Garibaldi Red’ the team went on to become ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ 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 ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ together with a portion of his estate.