Watson led the club to three league titles in the 1890’s as the club enjoyed a fruitful start to life in the Football League.
And the anniversary got us thinking about the Black Cats’ most successful managers of all time - so we’ve ranked them in order below according to their win percentage.
We’ve only included permanent managers - so there are no caretakers included - and we’ve capped the list at the top 14, meaning some notable names (such as Sam Allardyce, Gus Poyet and Chris Coleman to name a few) miss out.
Scroll down to see the club’s most successful managers of all time, based solely on win percentage:
1. 14th - Phil Parkinson
The current occupant of the Stadium of Light hotseat, Parkinson has a win percentage of 36.7% from his first seven months in the job. Photo: Frank Reid
2. 13th - Denis Smith
Having lifted Sunderland from the old Third Division to the top flight, Smith holds a special place in the history of the Black Cats - and he has a win percentage of 38.3% to boot. Given he managed over 230 games at Roker Park, that’s an impressive record. Photo: Ben Radford
3. 12th - Robert Campbell
Appointed as Watson’s successor in 1896, Campbell took charge of over 100 games during a three-year stint with the Black Cats. He left the club in 1899 with a win percentage of 39.8%. Photo: Stu Forster
4. 11th - Alan Brown
Brown led Sunderland for over 330 games after taking the job in 1957, and maintained a 41.6% win percentage during his seven-year stay at Roker Park. Photo: Frank Reid