Harry Stafford (1869-1940) was an English footballer who played a major role in founding Manchester United Football Club. Born in Crewe, Cheshire, Stafford became a locomotive boiler maker who worked for the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) in the expanding Crewe factories.

In addition to his football career, Stafford was a skilled athlete who ran various distances from 100 meters to half a mile. He was also an exceptional hurdler and represented the Crewe Alexandra Athletic Club for several years until he became a professional with Newton Heath and was thus disqualified from amateur sport.

Stafford made his pagan league debut with a 4-0 home win over Darwen on April 3, 1896, and immediately became the club's first right-back. The following year he turned pro and