Career
Hunter began his career with Coleraine before playing for Oldham Athletic, Blackburn Rovers, and Colchester United. He managed Colchester United for eight months, only to return for a brief period as a coach at Layer Road. As an international, he represented his country 53 times, 47 of which while he was at Ipswich, becoming the club"s most capped player in the club"s history.
Fellow Ipswich player Terry Butcher wrote of Hunter in his autobiography, describing an incident where Butcher had "crossed himself" before a reserve match: Hunter played in a full-strength Ipswich team against Stowmarket Town in a testimonial match in 1980.
Hunter made 53 appearances for Northern Ireland, making him "s most capped international player. He also played alongside such notables as Alan Ball, Colin Bell, Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore and Emlyn Hughes for the "New European Common Market" against the "Old ECM" in a match at Wembley celebrating the admission to the European Common Market of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark in 1973.
In 1982, Hunter accepted the role of player-manager at Colchester United where he appointed former Ipswich coach Cyril Lea as his assistant. Hunter did not last long in the position, and following the suicide of John Lyons in November 1982, he resigned from the club, leaving Lea in charge.
Like many other ex-Ipswich players, Hunter settled in Suffolk following his retirement from the game.
In 2009, Hunter was inaugurated into to the Hall of Fame, along with George Burley, Arnold Muhren and Billy Baxter. As a player.
