Bobby Shearer
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Shearer | ||
| Date of birth | 29 December 1931 | ||
| Place of birth | Hamilton, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 5 November 2006 (aged 74) | ||
| Position(s) | Right-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Burnbank Athletic | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1951–1955 | Hamilton Academical | 73 | (13) |
| 1955–1965 | Rangers | 267 | (2) |
| 1965–1966 | Queen of the South | 30 | (0) |
| Total | 370 | (15) | |
| International career | |||
| 1961 | Scotland | 4 | (0) |
| 1961 | Scottish League XI[1] | 2 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1965-1966 | Queen of the South | ||
| 1967 | Third Lanark | ||
| 1970-1971 | Hamilton Academical | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Bobby Shearer (29 December 1931 – 5 November 2006)[2] was a Scottish professional football player and manager. He represented Scotland in four full international games.
Shearer, a right-back, played 407 times in all competitions for Rangers between 1955 and 1965, including a run of 165 consecutive games. He previously played for Hamilton Academical, his hometown club, and also for Highland League club Inverness Thistle while on National Service in the Army in the early 1950s, at Fort George Barracks just outside Inverness. His combative playing style led to him being nicknamed Captain Cutlass.
He made his full Scotland debut on 15 April 1961, in the infamous 9-3 defeat against England at Wembley.[2] It was frequently joked afterwards that as an orange football had been used, Shearer and Rangers teammate Eric Caldow had refused to kick it, while Celtic players Frank Haffey and Billy McNeill had refused to touch it.[2] Despite this inauspicious start, Shearer won further caps against the Republic of Ireland (twice) and Czechoslovakia in World Cup qualifiers the following month, his final game being a 4-0 defeat in Bratislava.
Shearer captained Rangers to their second domestic treble in 1963-64. In all, he won five league championships, three Scottish Cups and four Scottish League Cups during his time at Ibrox.
After leaving Ibrox, Shearer moved to Dumfries club Queen of the South as player-coach in the era of players such as Allan Ball, Iain McChesney and Billy Collings. In January 1967, Shearer was appointed manager of ill-fated Third Lanark, who folded later that year. Shearer moved back to his hometown club Hamilton Academical and served as their manager, amongst other tasks.[2]
He died following a short illness on 5 November 2006, aged 74.
References
- ^ http://www.londonhearts.com/SFL/players/bobbyshearer.html
- ^ a b c d Vallance, Matt (7 November 2006). "Bobby Shearer". The Scotsman. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
External links
- Bobby Shearer, Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database
- Bobby Shearer at the Scottish Football Association
- 1931 births
- 2006 deaths
- Hamilton Academical F.C. managers
- Hamilton Academical F.C. players
- Queen of the South F.C. managers
- Queen of the South F.C. players
- Rangers F.C. players
- Scotland international footballers
- Scottish football managers
- Scottish footballers
- Third Lanark A.C. managers
- Burnbank Athletic F.C. players
- Scottish Junior Football Association players
- Scottish Football League players
- Scottish Football League representative players
- Sportspeople from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
- Scottish Football League managers
- Inverness Thistle F.C. players
- Highland Football League players