Ian McColl
Encyclopedia
John Miller "Ian" McColl (7 June 1927 - 25 October 2008) was a Scottish
association football defender
who played for Queen's Park
, Rangers
and the Scotland national team
. After retiring as a player, he managed the Scotland national team
and Sunderland
.
, Ian McColl developed his footballing skills with Vale of Leven juniors while at Vale of Leven F.C.
He joined Queen's Park
in 1943 when he moved to Glasgow
to study engineering
at the University of Glasgow
. He continued his studies after turning professional and later worked as a qualified engineer.
Bill Struth
signed McColl in 1945. During his 15 year spell at Ibrox
, he won six League championships, five Scottish Cup
s and two League Cup
s. He captained the club during the 1950s and was part of what was known as the Iron Curtain defence, alongside the likes of Sammy Cox
, Willie Woodburn
and George Young
.
His final appearance for Rangers was in the 1960 Scottish Cup Final, a 2–0 win against Kilmarnock
. He made a total of 526 appearances for the Glasgow club. He also won 14 caps for Scotland and represented the Scottish League XI
.
5–2 at Hampden Park
. Under McColl's managership, Scotland won British Home Championship
s in 1962
and 1963
. The team beat England
2–0 at Hampden and 2–1 at Wembley in the process. Other notable results under his tenure include a 6–2 win against Spain
in Madrid
, a 6–1 win over Northern Ireland in Belfast
and a 6–1 win over Norway
in Glasgow
. He was in charge of Scotland for a total of 27 matches, winning 16 of them. This gave him a winning percentage
of 59.3%, the second best of any Scotland manager.
McColl was appointed manager of Sunderland
in 1965. Despite signing Jim Baxter
, McCall was unable to make Sunderland into a successful side. He was sacked by Sunderland in 1968 and spent the rest of his working life as a civil engineer
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
association football defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
who played for Queen's Park
Queen's Park F.C.
Queen's Park Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club are currently the only amateur club in the Scottish League; their amateur status is reflected by their motto, Ludere Causa Ludendi – to play for the sake of playing.Queen's Park are the oldest...
, Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
and the Scotland national team
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
. After retiring as a player, he managed the Scotland national team
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
and Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
.
Early life
Born in Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire, the grandson of Scotland international William McCollWilliam McColl
William McColl was a Scottish professional footballer who played as an inside forward for several English and Scottish clubs. He played one match for the Scotland national football team, in a 2–2 draw with Wales on 23 March 1895....
, Ian McColl developed his footballing skills with Vale of Leven juniors while at Vale of Leven F.C.
Vale of Leven F.C.
Vale of Leven Football Club are an association club based in the town of Alexandria, Scotland, in the Vale of Leven area of West Dunbartonshire. Nicknamed the Vale and formed in 1939, they play at Millburn Park...
He joined Queen's Park
Queen's Park F.C.
Queen's Park Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club are currently the only amateur club in the Scottish League; their amateur status is reflected by their motto, Ludere Causa Ludendi – to play for the sake of playing.Queen's Park are the oldest...
in 1943 when he moved to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
to study engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
. He continued his studies after turning professional and later worked as a qualified engineer.
Playing career
Rangers managerHead coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Bill Struth
Bill Struth
Bill Struth was the second manager of Rangers Football Club, leading the Club for 34 years between 1920 and 1954, as well as the holder of a number of other positions, including director...
signed McColl in 1945. During his 15 year spell at Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
, he won six League championships, five Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
s and two League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
s. He captained the club during the 1950s and was part of what was known as the Iron Curtain defence, alongside the likes of Sammy Cox
Sammy Cox
Samuel "Sammy" Richmond Cox is a former Scottish international footballer.Cox initially played amateur football with Queen's Park, Third Lanark and Dundee during World War II, before turning professional in 1946 when he joined Rangers.Cox, a versatile defender, made his league debut for Rangers in...
, Willie Woodburn
Willie Woodburn
William 'Willie' Woodburn was a Scottish footballer. He was the last footballer in Britain to receive a life ban from the game for indiscipline. He is also an inductee of the Scottish Football Hall of Fame and the Rangers F.C...
and George Young
George Young (footballer)
George Lewis Young was a Scottish footballer, best remembered for his association with Rangers and for being the first player to receive over 50 caps for the Scotland national team.-Club:...
.
His final appearance for Rangers was in the 1960 Scottish Cup Final, a 2–0 win against Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock F.C.
Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park...
. He made a total of 526 appearances for the Glasgow club. He also won 14 caps for Scotland and represented the Scottish League XI
Scottish League XI
The Scottish League XI is a representative side of the Scottish Football League. The team regularly played against the Football League and other national league select teams between 1892 and 1980. For a long period the annual fixture between the English and Scottish leagues was only second in...
.
Managerial career
After his playing career, he quickly went into management. He was appointed manager of Scotland in 1960 and enjoyed a winning start, beating Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
5–2 at Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
. Under McColl's managership, Scotland won British Home Championship
British Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
s in 1962
1962 British Home Championship
The 1962 British Home Championship was a football competition played in the season preceding the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile, for which only England had qualified from the home nations...
and 1963
1963 British Home Championship
The 1963 British Home Championship football tournament came after disappointment for the home nations in the 1962 FIFA World Cup, for which only England qualified, only to be beaten 3–1 in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Brazil...
. The team beat England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
2–0 at Hampden and 2–1 at Wembley in the process. Other notable results under his tenure include a 6–2 win against Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, a 6–1 win over Northern Ireland in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and a 6–1 win over Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. He was in charge of Scotland for a total of 27 matches, winning 16 of them. This gave him a winning percentage
Winning percentage
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win...
of 59.3%, the second best of any Scotland manager.
McColl was appointed manager of Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
in 1965. Despite signing Jim Baxter
Jim Baxter
James Curran Baxter was a left-footed Scottish footballer who played as a midfielder. He is regarded by some as the country's greatest ever footballer...
, McCall was unable to make Sunderland into a successful side. He was sacked by Sunderland in 1968 and spent the rest of his working life as a civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
.