Sammy Baird

Stuart Samuel Baird (13 May 1930 – 21 April 2010) was a Scottish football player and manager.

Sammy Baird
Personal information
Full name Stuart Samuel Baird[1]
Date of birth (1930-05-13)13 May 1930
Place of birth Denny, Scotland
Date of death 21 April 2010(2010-04-21) (aged 79)
Place of death Bangor, Northern Ireland[2]
Position(s) Inside left
Left half
Youth career
Rutherglen Glencairn
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1949–1954 Clyde 90 (25)
1954–1955 Preston North End 15 (2)
1955–1960 Rangers 122 (39)
1960–1962 Hibernian 39 (5)
1962–1963 Third Lanark 24 (1)
1963–1964 Stirling Albion 12 (1)
Total 302 (73)
National team
1954–1958 Scottish League XI[3] 5 (1)
1956–1958 Scotland 7 (2)
1958[4] SFA trial v SFL 1 (0)
Teams managed
1963–1968 Stirling Albion
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

During his playing career he played for Clyde, Preston North End, Rangers, Hibernian, Third Lanark and Stirling Albion. He won three Scottish league titles (1956, 1957 and 1959) and one Scottish Cup (1960) with Rangers.

Baird won the Division Two title in 1951–52 with Clyde.[2] Baird scored five times for Rangers as they reached the 1959–60 European Cup semi finals and was influential for Hibernian on their run to the 1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup semi finals. Preston paid £12,000 for his signature and Rangers paid £10,000 for his services. Hibs then forked out £5,000 for him.[5]

He earned seven international caps for Scotland from 1956 to 1958. He scored on his debut against Yugoslavia, and also in his last match, a 2–1 defeat by France in the 1958 FIFA World Cup. The latter goal was the first time a Rangers player scored in a World Cup Finals match.[6]

As the manager of Stirling Albion he led them to promotion to Division One in the 1964–65 season, but he was sacked in 1968 because the club were heading for relegation back to Division Two.[2]

Baird died on the morning of 21 April 2010.[6]

References
  1. "Sammy Baird". Barry Hugman's Footballers.
  2. "Obituary: Sammy Baird". The Scotsman. UK. 23 April 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  3. "Sammy Baird". London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  4. Scottish trial match at Easter Road, Glasgow Herald, 4 February 1958
  5. "Sammy Baird: Footballer who won three League titles with Rangers and played in the 1958 World Cup". The Independent. 1 May 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  6. "Rangers Saddened By Baird Loss". Rangers F.C. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
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