Chris Hughton awarded honorary degree from University of Sussex
Brighton and Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton has been awarded an honorary degree from the University of Sussex.
The honour is in recognition of his achievements in taking the Albion from the Championship relegation zone to a competitive Premier League outfit over the course of his four years in charge.
Hughton’s accomplishments as a manager are all the more remarkable when you consider the fact that black and ethnic minority managers are a rarity in professional football.
The Albion boss is one of only five working in the top four divisions in England with Darren Moore at West Bromwich Albion, Chris Powell at Charlton Athletic, Keith Curle at Carlisle United and Sol Campbell at Macclesfield Town the others.
It’s the latest in a long list of accolades that Hughton has picked up in his time in the Albion hot seat. He was named Championship Manager of the Year for both the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons and racked up three Manager of the Month awards during Brighton’s spell in the second tier.
Hughton also has one Premier League Manager of the Month to his name having won the award last February and he was also nominated for Manager of the Season alongside Rafael Benitez, Sean Dyche, Roy Hodgson, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, who was unsurprisingly the winner.
The former Ireland international was appointed Brighton boss on December 31st 2014. He didn’t get off to the most convincing of starts as the Albion limped to Championship safety, thanks mainly to the fact that there were somehow three worse teams in the division in Blackpool, Wigan Athletic and Millwall. There was a run of six-games without scoring thrown in there for good measure.
The 2015-16 season was a completely different story however. Hughton spent well in the summer with the result being a third placed finish before traditional failure in the play off semi finals, this time to Sheffield Wednesday.
A lesser team and a lesser manager would have suffered a hangover for the following season but not Brighton and not Hughton as their response was to go one better and win automatic promotion a year later. Hughton then comfortably kept the Albion in the Premier League last year.
He becomes the third Albion-related honorary graduate of the last few years. The University of Brighton awarded former chairman Dick Knight a Master of Arts degree in 2013, recognising his contribution to using the power of sport to benefit the community.
Brighton Uni also bestowed the same honour upon Tony Bloom last summer, the Albion owner becoming an Honorary Doctor of Science in recognition of his impact on the community and major contribution to business in the city of Brighton and Hove.
Hughton will collect his honour as part of Sussex’s awards ceremony on Thursday. Hopefully, he’ll get into the student spirit and hit The Haunt for £1.80 Carlsberg and £2 Jaegerbombs afterwards.
