1. Overview
Joseph Thomas Corrigan (born 18 November 1948) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and later became a coach. Known by the nickname "Big Joe", Corrigan spent the majority of his playing career, 16 seasons, with Manchester City, where he established himself as a club legend. During his tenure at Manchester City, he achieved significant success, winning the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1970 and two League Cups in 1970 and 1976, along with the FA Charity Shield in 1972. He holds the club record for the most appearances by a goalkeeper, with 602 total appearances, and was named Manchester City's Player of the Year three times. Internationally, Corrigan represented the England national team nine times between 1976 and 1982, and was part of the squad for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. After retiring from playing due to a neck injury in 1985, he transitioned into coaching, notably serving as the goalkeeping coach for Liverpool for a decade and later for several other English clubs.
2. Early Life
Joseph Thomas Corrigan was born on 18 November 1948, in Manchester, Greater Manchester, England.
3. Playing career
Joe Corrigan's playing career was predominantly defined by his long and successful spell at Manchester City, followed by shorter periods with other clubs both in England and North America.
3.1. Manchester City
Corrigan began his professional journey at Manchester City, where he rose through the youth ranks to become a prominent figure.
3.1.1. Youth career and debut
Corrigan joined Manchester City as a youth player in 1966. He made his professional debut for the club in 1967, participating in an League Cup match against Blackpool. Initially, he served as an understudy to the experienced Harry Dowd, particularly during City's successful 1969 FA Cup campaign.
3.1.2. Establishing as first-choice goalkeeper
During the 1969-70 season, Corrigan solidified his position as the first-choice goalkeeper at Maine Road, Manchester City's home ground, taking over from the aging Harry Dowd. He maintained this role for an extended period, spending a total of 16 seasons with the club.
3.1.3. Major club honours
Corrigan was an integral part of the Manchester City team that achieved a notable cup double in the 1969-70 season, winning both the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the League Cup. He also contributed to the team's League Cup victory in 1976 and the FA Charity Shield triumph in 1972.
3.1.4. Individual accolades and club records
Corrigan's individual performances at Manchester City earned him significant recognition. He was voted Manchester City's Player of the Year three times, in 1976, 1978, and 1980, a feat matched only by Richard Dunne. With a total of 602 appearances across all competitions for Manchester City, he holds the club record for the most appearances by a goalkeeper, a figure surpassed only by Alan Oakes among all players. He is widely regarded as one of Manchester City's finest goalkeepers, alongside other club legends like Frank Swift and Bert Trautmann.
3.1.5. FA Cup final appearance
In the 1981 FA Cup final, Corrigan played a crucial role for Manchester City, despite the team's eventual defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. His outstanding performance in the match led to him being named man-of-the-match.
3.2. Other clubs
After his long tenure at Manchester City, Corrigan ventured to North America before returning to England for his final playing spells.
3.2.1. North American Soccer League
In 1983, Corrigan was transferred from Manchester City to the American club Seattle Sounders in the North American Soccer League for a fee of 30.00 K GBP. He remained in the United States for only a few months, making 29 appearances during his brief spell.
3.2.2. Later spells in England
Following his time in the US, Corrigan returned to England, joining Brighton & Hove Albion. Towards the end of his playing career, he also had loan spells with Norwich City and Stoke City. A neck injury ultimately forced his retirement from professional football in 1985.
4. International career
Joe Corrigan, born in England, is of Irish descent. He earned several caps for the England national team during his career.
4.1. England national team appearances
Corrigan made nine appearances for the England national team between 1976 and 1982. His debut for England occurred on 28 May 1976, in a match against the Italy national team.
4.2. Major tournament participation and competition
He was included in the England squad for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. However, his opportunities to play more international matches were significantly limited due to the strong competition from other prominent English goalkeepers of his era, notably Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence.
5. Coaching career
Following his retirement as a player, Joe Corrigan transitioned into coaching, specializing as a goalkeeping coach for various clubs.
5.1. Liverpool F.C.
Corrigan served as the goalkeeping coach for Liverpool from 1994 until the arrival of manager Rafael Benítez in 2004.
5.2. Other coaching roles
After leaving Liverpool, Corrigan continued his coaching career at several other clubs. On 21 September 2004, he joined the coaching staff at Chester City. Shortly thereafter, on 5 October 2004, he moved to Stockport County to take up the role of goalkeeping coach. In February 2005, Corrigan joined West Bromwich Albion. He initially retired from coaching at the end of the 2008-09 season.
However, Corrigan came out of retirement in February 2011 to join Hull City as their goalkeeping coach, replacing Mark Prudhoe, whose coaching methods had drawn criticism from some Hull supporters. Corrigan's second stint in coaching was brief; he left his role at Hull City in August 2011 after being involved in an unspecified incident with player Jimmy Bullard during a pre-season trip to Slovenia, which ultimately led to Bullard's dismissal from the club.
6. Personal Life
Joe Corrigan has also been recognized for his contributions outside of football. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2025 New Year Honours for his services to charitable fundraising.
7. Honours
Joe Corrigan achieved several team and individual honours throughout his distinguished playing career.
7.1. Club honours
Manchester City
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1970
- Football League Cup: 1970, 1976
- FA Charity Shield: 1972
7.2. Individual honours
- Manchester City Player of the Year: 1976, 1978, 1980
8. Career statistics
The following tables detail Joe Corrigan's appearances and goals for his clubs and the England national team throughout his career.
8.1. Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester City | 1967-68 | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1968-69 | First Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1969-70 | First Division | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 50 | 0 | |
| 1970-71 | First Division | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 45 | 0 | |
| 1971-72 | First Division | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 | |
| 1972-73 | First Division | 30 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 1973-74 | First Division | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| 1974-75 | First Division | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| 1975-76 | First Division | 41 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 55 | 0 | |
| 1976-77 | First Division | 42 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 0 | |
| 1977-78 | First Division | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 0 | |
| 1978-79 | First Division | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 57 | 0 | |
| 1979-80 | First Division | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 0 | |
| 1980-81 | First Division | 37 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 0 | |
| 1981-82 | First Division | 39 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 0 | |
| 1982-83 | First Division | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | |
| Total | 476 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 52 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 602 | 0 | ||
| Seattle Sounders | 1983 | NASL | 29 | 0 | - | - | - | 29 | 0 | |||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 1983-84 | Second Division | 36 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| Norwich City (loan) | 1984-85 | First Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Stoke City (loan) | 1984-85 | First Division | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Career Total | 553 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 56 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 686 | 0 | ||
8.2. International statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 1976 | 1 | 0 |
| 1977 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1978 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1979 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1980 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1981 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1982 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 0 | |