Born on October 11, 1930, Ronnie joined Queen's
Park, making his debut for the club a month before his fifteenth
birthday. Having served his national service at Catterick, Ronnie
joined Third Lanark in 1950 but stayed with them less than a year
before joining Newcastle United in 1951.
By that point he had already represented Great Britain
in the 1948 London Olympics. With Newcastle he won FA Cup medals
in 1952 and 1955, spending nine great years with the club before
returning to Scotland to join Hibs in 1960. Four years with the
Easter Road club ended when Jock Stein sold him to Celtic just short
of his 34th birthday.
Within a year, Stein had joined him at Celtic Park
and the next few years were to bring great success to the club,
with Ronnie the foundation at the back upon which that success was
built. His debut for Celtic came in the Nou Camp Stadium, when Celtic
lost 3-1 to Barcelona in the Fairs Cities' Cup in November 18, 1964.
Between 1964 and 1970, when he retired, Ronnie and
Celtic enjoyed great success, winning the league in 1966 and in
each of the subsequent seasons after that. Along with that came
Scottish Cup and League Cup triumphs, but the crowning moment for
Celtic and for the players came on May 25, 1967.
A team of homegrown players beat Inter Milan 2-1
to become the first British club to win the European Cup. The Lisbon
Lions, as they came to be known, were immediately the most famous
team in the club's history, a position they hold to this day.
That same season, Ronnie also won the first of five
Scottish caps, when he was in goal at Wembley the day Scotland beat
the then world champions England 3-2.
Having retired at the age of 39, Ronnie took one
final bow before the Celtic Park crowd on May 1, 1971, the last
game the Lisbon Lions played together.
A brief spell as Hamilton manager ended after less
than a year.
Ronnie remained a popular figure around Celtic Park
and worked on matchdays in the hospitality suites. Fans who had
the privilege to meet him were left in no doubt as to his love of
Celtic and the joy he had felt in playing for the club. He was,
and will always be, one of the greatest goalkeepers to have played
for Celtic.
At this sad time, the thoughts and prayers of everyone
at Celtic Football Club and the wider Celtic family are with Ronnie's
family and friends.
Copyright 2004 All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction, in whole or in part, without written
permission, is strictly prohibited. Contact
Webmaster for more info.
