John Little (footballer)

Robert John Little (8 July 1930 – 18 January 2017),[3] was a Scottish footballer, who played as a defender for Queen's Park, Rangers, Morton and the Scotland national team.

John Little
Personal information
Full name Robert John Little
Date of birth (1930-07-08)8 July 1930
Place of birth Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Date of death 18 January 2017(2017-01-18) (aged 86)
Position(s) Left back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1948–1951 Queen's Park 55 (0)
1951–1962 Rangers 178 (1)
1962–1963 Morton 14 (0)
Total 247 (1)
National team
1953 Scotland 1 (0)
1954–1960 Scottish League XI 2 (0)
1955[1] Scotland A vs B trial 1 (0)
1960[2] SFL trial v SFA 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Football career

Little was born in Calgary, Alberta, but grew up in Scotland in Millport, Isle of Cumbrae. He started his career with Queen's Park, making 55 league appearances.[4] He joined Rangers in 1951, and he made a total of 275 appearances, scoring once. His only ever goal for the club came in a 1–1 draw with Hamilton Academical in March 1954. During his time at Ibrox he won two League championships (1952–53 and 1955–56 - he made insufficient appearances in two other title-winning seasons) and two Scottish Cups (1953 and 1960).[5] He left Rangers at the end of the 1961–62 season, moving to Morton, where he finished his career.

Little won one cap for the Scotland national team, against Sweden in 1953. Little also played for the Scottish League XI twice.[6]

Post playing career

Little went on to teach physical education at St Columba's Greenock in the late 1960s and at the Sacred Heart Secondary in Paisley in the early 1970s. He died on 18 January 2017, aged 86.[3]

See also

References
  1. Easter Road game should not have been played, Glasgow Herald (page 4), 22 February 1955
  2. Ronnie McDevitt (2016). Scotland in the 60s: The Definitive Account of the Scottish National Football Side During the 1960s. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 9781785312458.
  3. "Johnny Little". Rangers.co.uk. Rangers Football Club. 18 January 2017.
  4. Little, R. John, QPFC.com
  5. Rangers player Little, John, FitbaStats
  6. SFL player John Little, London Hearts Supporters Club
  • John Little at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database


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