Ronnie Coyle
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ronald Coyle | ||
| Date of birth | 4 August 1964 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 12 April 2011 (aged 46) | ||
| Place of death | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Celtic | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1984–1987 | Celtic | 2 | (0) |
| 1986 | → Clyde (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 1987 | Middlesbrough | 3 | (0) |
| 1987–1988 | Rochdale | 24 | (1) |
| 1988–1996 | Raith Rovers | 253 | (9) |
| 1996–1997 | Ayr United | 34 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | Albion Rovers | 12 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | East Fife | 26 | (0) |
| 1999 | Queen's Park | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 362 | (10) | |
| National team | |||
| Scotland Under-15 schoolboys (1980)[1] | |||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Ronnie Coyle (4 August 1964 – 12 April 2011)[1] was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a defender.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Coyle was born in Glasgow and educated at St. Gerard's Secondary School.[1] Coyle played for Celtic Boys Club and the Scotland Under-15 schoolboy honours team, alongside, among others, Paul McStay, John Robertson and Ally Dick, which defeated England 5–4 in 1980.[1]
[edit] Career
Coyle began his professional career as a youngster with Celtic.[1] After just two appearances and a loan period with Clyde, Coyle had a brief spell with Middlesbrough before moving to Rochdale.[1]
After a year with Rochdale, Coyle moved to Kirkcaldy club Raith Rovers in 1988.[1] In his eight years with Rovers, Coyle won two First Division titles and a League Cup, also playing in Raith's only season in Europe. After helping Rovers secure a mid-table finish in the Premier Division, Coyle moved on to Ayr United, where he spent a season before similar spells with Albion Rovers and East Fife. Coyle finished his career with Queen's Park.
Coyle - who moved out of football and worked in sales and marketing back in his native Glasgow - was part of a number of former Raith players who lent his weight to the 'Reclaim the Rovers' campaign, taking part in a fundraising walk in the summer of 2005.[2]
In April 2009 Coyle was diagnosed with a form of leukemia for which he was admitted to the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. On 1 May 2010 at half time during the match Ross County, Raith Rovers fans were glad to hear that he was alright. On 27 March 2011 Raith Rovers hosted a benefit match for him involving their 1994 Coca-Cola Cup winning team and the Celtic runners-up team with Celtic coming out on top 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw.[3] Coyle died just weeks later on 12 April 2011 from the disease he had battled.[4] He was survived by his wife Joan and their three children, Kevin, Briony and Georgia.
[edit] Honours
- Raith Rovers
- Ayr United
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Ronnie Coyle". The Herald. 14 April 2011. http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/obituaries/ronnie-coyle-1.1096203. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ "Let's get the ball rolling". Fifeonlinetoday.co.uk. 2005-06-30. http://www.fifetoday.co.uk/rovers-reclaimed/Let39s-get-the-ball-rolling.1071541.jp.
- ^ "Fans & Friends Honour Ronnie Coyle". Raith Rovers FC. 2011-03-28. http://www.raithroversfc.com/cgi-bin/features.cgi?id=206.
- ^ "Ronnie Coyle". Raith Rovers FC. 2011-04-13. http://www.raithroversfc.com/cgi-bin/latestnews.cgi?id=3689.
[edit] External links
- Scottish footballers
- Association football defenders
- Celtic F.C. players
- Clyde F.C. players
- Middlesbrough F.C. players
- Rochdale A.F.C. players
- Raith Rovers F.C. players
- Ayr United F.C. players
- Albion Rovers F.C. players
- East Fife F.C. players
- Queen's Park F.C. players
- Scottish Football League players
- The Football League players
- 1964 births
- 2011 deaths
- Cancer deaths in Scotland
- Deaths from leukemia
- Sportspeople from Glasgow
