Jim Baxter
Encyclopedia
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. He was born, educated and started his career in Fife
, but his peak playing years were in the early 1960s with the Glasgow
club Rangers
, whom he helped to win ten trophies between 1960 and 1965, and where he became known as "Slim Jim". However he started drinking heavily during a four-month layoff caused by a leg fracture in December 1964, his fitness suffered, and he was transferred
to Sunderland
in summer 1965. In two and a half years at Sunderland he played 98 games and scored 12 goals, becoming known for drinking himself unconscious the night before a match and playing well the next day. At the end of 1967 Sunderland transferred him to Nottingham Forest
, who gave him a free transfer back to Rangers in 1969 after 50 games. After a further year with Rangers Baxter retired from football in 1970, at the age of 31.
From 1961 to 1967, he was a leading member of a strong Scottish international team that lost only once to England
, in 1965, shortly after he recovered from the leg fracture. He thought his best international performance was a 2–1 win against England in 1963, when he scored both goals after Scotland were reduced to 10 players – left back Eric Caldow
had his leg broken in a tackle with Bobby Smith. In the 1967 match against England, who had won the 1966 World Cup
, he taunted the opposition by ball juggling while waiting for his team-mates to find good positions. Although he was given most of the credit for the 3–2 win, some commentators wished he had made an effort to run up a bigger score.
In his prime, Baxter was known for his ability to raise a team's morale, his good tactical vision, precise passing and ability to send opponents the wrong way – and for being a joker on the pitch. He also broke with Glasgow tradition and Rangers' policy by becoming friendly with several members of their major Glasgow rivals
, Celtic
.
Although he gained a reputation as a womaniser when he moved to Glasgow, he married in 1965 and had two sons. The marriage broke up in 1981, and in 1983 he formed another relationship that lasted the rest of his life. After retiring from football he became manager of a pub
, and his continued heavy drinking damaged his liver so badly that he needed two transplant
s at the age of 55, after which he swore off alcohol
. Baxter was also addicted to gambling, and is estimated to have lost between £250,000 and £500,000. After he died of pancreatic cancer
in 2001, his funeral was held in Glasgow Cathedral
and his ashes were buried at Rangers' Ibrox Stadium
. In 2003, a statue was erected in his honour at his hometown, Hill of Beath
.
, Fife
on 29 September 1939 and was educated and started his career there. After leaving school he spent eight months as an apprentice cabinet maker
, and then worked as a coal miner.
His former Headmaster, James Carmichael took an interest in ex-pupils and encouraged Baxter to join local football team Halbeath Juveniles instead of one of the glamour clubs. Baxter went on play for the Fife junior team, Crossgates Primrose
. Baxter joined Raith Rovers
as a part-timer in 1957. He later said of his time with the two Fife clubs, "I would never have made it in today's circumstances. I needed bastards like Carmichael, Buckard, Ferrier, Herdsman and McNaught
. Young players like I was would simply tell them to get stuffed and take their talent elsewhere. I owe them."
as a part-timer in 1957.
In June 1960, he joined the Glasgow
team Rangers
for a transfer fee of £17,500, a Scottish record at the time.
His first two seasons at Ibrox were coupled with two years' National service
as a Black Watch
soldier.
Baxter played for Rangers from 1960 to 1965, mainly as an attacking left half. During this period the team won the Scottish League
Championship in 1961, 1963 and 1964, and the Scottish Cup
in 1964. Rangers fans remember him as "Slim Jim", and in 18 "Old Firm
" games against local rivals Celtic
– 10 Scottish League, five Scottish League Cup
and three Scottish Cup matches – he was only twice on the losing side. His first Rangers game was in August 1960 at inside left against Partick Thistle
in the Scottish League Cup. He scored his first goal for the club in November 1960, against Clyde
, and in the same month scored an early goal in Rangers' 8–0 win over the German team Borussia Mönchengladbach
. In 1961
Baxter played in the Rangers team that contested the first ever European Cup Winners' Cup Final, a two-legged tie that they lost 4–1 on aggregate to Fiorentina
.
In December 1964, Baxter played brilliantly, in Tam Dalyell
's opinion, to set up a 2–0 win for Rangers in an away game against Rapid Vienna
in the European Cup, but late in the game his leg was broken and he was unable to play for four months. He started drinking heavily during this lay-off, and this reduced his fitness.
Scot Symon, the Rangers manager who had signed up Baxter in 1960, may have felt Baxter's best days were past, and sold him in May 1965.
for a transfer fee of £72,500, the highest ever paid to a Scottish club at the time. Baxter played 98 games for Sunderland in England's First Division (then the highest one), scoring 12 goals.
In December 1967, Sunderland sold Baxter to English First Division club Nottingham Forest
for £100,000. While there he became friends with cricketer Gary Sobers. After playing 50 games for Forest, in 1969, Baxter was given a free transfer.
Baxter moved back to Rangers. His return to Rangers was brief, as he retired from football in 1970, aged only 31. By the end of his career with Rangers he had made 254 appearances for the club, including victories that led to three Scottish League Championships, three Scottish Cups and four Scottish League Cup
s.
s as a member of strong Scottish teams
, which included Billy McNeill
, Pat Crerand
, John White, Dave Mackay
, Denis Law
and John Greig
. In his international appearances he scored three goals, and Scotland won 21, drew 3 and lost 10 of these matches. He made his international debut in November 1961, when Scotland beat Northern Ireland
. Earlier in 1961 Scotland lost 9–3 to England at Wembley, and April 1962 Baxter and Crerand played brilliantly, helping Scotland to gain some revenge with a 2–0 win.
According to many commentators, his greatest performances were against England in 1963 and 1967. Baxter regarded his performance in 1963 as the better of the two. In the 1963 game Scotland were reduced to 10 men when their left back Eric Caldow
's leg was broken in a tackle – substitution
s were not allowed in those days. Baxter, supported by Mackay, White and Law, led Scotland to a 2–1 win, scoring both of the goals, the first being Baxter's first-ever penalty kick
, for an English foul on Willie Henderson
. Bobby Moore
thought this was the best team Scotland ever fielded.
The following year Scotland, again inspired by Baxter and Law, beat England 1–0, and only poor finishing prevented them from scoring a bigger win. In 1966, sixteen months after his leg had been broken, Baxter was no longer able to inspire his team-mates, and Scotland lost 4–3 to England.
In the 1967 British Home Championship
, Baxter produced a dominating but controversial performance for Scotland, tantalising England, who had won the World Cup
in 1966, by playing "keepie uppie
" (ball juggling) while waiting for team-mates to get into good positions. Some commentators accepted that humiliating the opposition was a valid objective, while others regarded it as childish and thought Scotland should have won a more convincing victory than the actual 3–2 scoreline. Team-mate Denis Law expressed opinions on both sides of this debate, saying that Baxter was "the best player on the park" and the main reason for the Scots' victory, but complaining that Baxter's lack of urgency had prevented Scotland from thoroughly avenging the 9–3 defeat in April 1961. Alex Ferguson
said Baxter's performance "could have been set to music". In this game Baxter also conspired with Billy Bremner
against Alan Ball, sending Bremner a "50-50" pass, which allowed Bremner to "hit Ball like a train" when Ball contested possession. As Scotland were the first team to beat England after the 1966 FIFA World Cup
, the Tartan Army
proclaimed themselves "unofficial world champions
".
In October 1963, which may have been Baxter's best year overall, he played in the "rest of the world" in a match against England to celebrate the centenary of The Football Association
. He came on to the field in the second half, and his performance won the admiration of Ferenc Puskás
. However England won the match 2–1.
Scotland did not qualify for the final stage of the FIFA World Cup
during Baxter's playing career. Scottish public opinion at the time blamed lack of commitment by the "Anglos", Scottish-born players who spent little or none of their playing careers in Scotland. However at the time beating England was more important to the Scots. In 1960–61, when Baxter played in all the qualifying matches for the 1962 World Cup
, they finished first equal in their qualifying group but lost the play-off against Czechoslovakia
, who were runners-up to Brazil in the Final. Four years later Baxter played in only two of the qualifying games, before breaking his leg in a club game in Vienna. Scotland finished second in their qualifying group, behind Italy. In 1968–69 he was not selected to play in any of the qualifiers for the 1970 World Cup
.
, Baxter became a notorious womaniser. In his words, "One day, I was a Raith Rovers
player who couldnae pull the birds at the Cowdenbeath
Palais. The next day I was in Glasgow
and the girls were throwing themselves at me. It was certainly a change and I wasn't letting it go by." However in 1965 he married Jean Ferguson, a hairdresser, and the couple brought up two sons Alan and Steven. His marriage to Jean broke down in 1981 and the two divorced. Jean married golfer William McCondichie three years later. In 1983 Baxter formed a relationship with Norma Morton, and the couple remained together until his death in 2001.
Baxter was free of the sectarianism
that marked the rivalry between Glasgow
's two leading teams. His close friends included the Celtic players Billy McNeill
, Pat Crerand
and Mike Jackson
, in defiance of the unwritten old firm rule that players did not associate and the Rangers' directors policy.
Like some other British football stars of the late 20th century, Baxter drank to excess, and at one point was said to be consuming three bottles of Bacardi
a day. Scotland team-mate Dave Mackay unsuccessfully advised him to train harder and live more sensibly. Baxter often got falling-down drunk the night before a match, but this did not seem to hamper his play, and team managers took little notice of his drinking. After retiring from football Baxter became a pub licensee, an unsuitable career for a problem drinker. At the age of 55 he needed two liver
transplants
in four days, and promised to quit drinking.
His other life-long addiction was gambling, at which he lost £500,000 by his own estimate and £250,000 by third-party estimates. Later in his life, when asked if earning the huge incomes of footballers in later decades would have made a difference, he replied, "Aye, I would have gambled £50,000 a week on the horses instead of £100."
In February 2001, Baxter was diagnosed as suffering from cancer
of the pancreas
, and he died at his home on Glasgow's South Side on the 14 April 2001, with his partner Norma and his sons Alan and Steven at his bedside. His funeral was held in Glasgow Cathedral
, where a reading was given by Gordon Brown
, a long-time fan of Raith Rovers F.C.
, where Baxter began his career.
manager Alex Ferguson
described Baxter as "arguably the best player to play in Scottish football" and "the greatest player I ever played with ... He had touch, balance, vision and just this wonderful aura ..." Rangers manager Willie Waddell
said, "Jim was the finest left half ever produced by Rangers." Jimmy Johnstone
, who played for Ranger's great rivals Celtic, said shortly after Baxter's death, "He was a great man and a genius on the ball." Allegedly Pelé
once said that Baxter should have been a Brazilian
. After Baxter's performance in the 1963 "rest of the world" vs England match, Ferenc Puskás
asked, "Where has this fellow been hiding?"
Baxter is a member of the Rangers supporters' Hall of Fame, and one of the first 50 added to the Scottish Sporting Hall of Fame when it was created in 2005. In 2004, he was also inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame
. He played most of his best football in his early twenties, before the leg fracture against Rapid Vienna in December 1964 and the start of his heavy drinking that made his nickname "Slim Jim" less appropriate.
Baxter attracted attention by his stylish play, controlling the game with "unhurried artistry" and refusing to conform with the "efficient" style that dominated English football or the energetic, physical style that was typical of Rangers at the time. He described his approach as "treating the ball like a woman. Give it a cuddle, caress it a wee bit, take your time, and you'll get the required response". Although Rangers insisted that players tuck their shirts completely into their shorts, Baxter always let part of his dangle over his left hip. He was also noted as a joker on the pitch. After the replay
of the Scottish Cup
Final against Celtic in 1963 he stuffed the match ball up his shirt and later gave it to a new member of the team. The SFA
insisted that the ball should be returned, and Rangers sent them a ball, but possibly not the match ball.
The Tartan Army
unsuccessfully attempted to get the new Wembley Stadium
footbridge named after him, and on 24 February 2005 Scottish National Party
MP
Pete Wishart presented an Early Day Motion
in the House of Commons supporting this campaign.
In 2003, a statue of Baxter was erected in his birthplace, Hill of Beath
in Fife
, after a campaign that raised £80,000.
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...
footballer who played as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
. He is regarded by some as the country's greatest ever footballer. He was born, educated and started his career in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, but his peak playing years were in the early 1960s with the 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...
club 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...
, whom he helped to win ten trophies between 1960 and 1965, and where he became known as "Slim Jim". However he started drinking heavily during a four-month layoff caused by a leg fracture in December 1964, his fitness suffered, and he was transferred
Transfer (football)
In professional association football, a transfer is the action taken whenever a player under contract moves between professional clubs. It refers to the transferring of a player's registration from one professional association football club to another. In general, the players can only be...
to 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 summer 1965. In two and a half years at Sunderland he played 98 games and scored 12 goals, becoming known for drinking himself unconscious the night before a match and playing well the next day. At the end of 1967 Sunderland transferred him to Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, who gave him a free transfer back to Rangers in 1969 after 50 games. After a further year with Rangers Baxter retired from football in 1970, at the age of 31.
From 1961 to 1967, he was a leading member of a strong Scottish international team that lost only once to 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...
, in 1965, shortly after he recovered from the leg fracture. He thought his best international performance was a 2–1 win against England in 1963, when he scored both goals after Scotland were reduced to 10 players – left back Eric Caldow
Eric Caldow
Eric Caldow is a former Scottish international footballer who played for Rangers, Stirling Albion and Scotland.-Early life:...
had his leg broken in a tackle with Bobby Smith. In the 1967 match against England, who had won the 1966 World Cup
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
, he taunted the opposition by ball juggling while waiting for his team-mates to find good positions. Although he was given most of the credit for the 3–2 win, some commentators wished he had made an effort to run up a bigger score.
In his prime, Baxter was known for his ability to raise a team's morale, his good tactical vision, precise passing and ability to send opponents the wrong way – and for being a joker on the pitch. He also broke with Glasgow tradition and Rangers' policy by becoming friendly with several members of their major Glasgow rivals
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
, Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
.
Although he gained a reputation as a womaniser when he moved to Glasgow, he married in 1965 and had two sons. The marriage broke up in 1981, and in 1983 he formed another relationship that lasted the rest of his life. After retiring from football he became manager of a pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, and his continued heavy drinking damaged his liver so badly that he needed two transplant
Organ transplant
Organ transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
s at the age of 55, after which he swore off alcohol
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
. Baxter was also addicted to gambling, and is estimated to have lost between £250,000 and £500,000. After he died of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
in 2001, his funeral was held in Glasgow Cathedral
Glasgow Cathedral
The church commonly known as Glasgow Cathedral is the Church of Scotland High Kirk of Glasgow otherwise known as St. Mungo's Cathedral.The other cathedrals in Glasgow are:* The Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew...
and his ashes were buried at Rangers' Ibrox Stadium
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...
. In 2003, a statue was erected in his honour at his hometown, Hill of Beath
Hill of Beath
Hill of Beath is a village in Fife, Scotland just outside Dunfermline and joined to Cowdenbeath.It is the birthplace of Rangers F.C legend Jim Baxter, and Celtic F.C midfielder Scott Brown.-See also:* Hill of Beath Hawthorn F.C....
.
Early life
Baxter was born in Hill of BeathHill of Beath
Hill of Beath is a village in Fife, Scotland just outside Dunfermline and joined to Cowdenbeath.It is the birthplace of Rangers F.C legend Jim Baxter, and Celtic F.C midfielder Scott Brown.-See also:* Hill of Beath Hawthorn F.C....
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
on 29 September 1939 and was educated and started his career there. After leaving school he spent eight months as an apprentice cabinet maker
Cabinet making
Cabinet making is the practice of using various woodworking skills to create cabinets, shelving and furniture.Cabinet making involves techniques such as creating appropriate joints, dados, bevels, chamfers and shelving systems, the use of finishing tools such as routers to create decorative...
, and then worked as a coal miner.
His former Headmaster, James Carmichael took an interest in ex-pupils and encouraged Baxter to join local football team Halbeath Juveniles instead of one of the glamour clubs. Baxter went on play for the Fife junior team, Crossgates Primrose
Crossgates Primrose J.F.C.
Crossgates Primrose J.F.C. are a Scottish football club based in Crossgates, near Dunfermline, Fife. Members of the Scottish Junior Football Association, they currently play in the East Region, Central Division...
. Baxter joined Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers F.C.
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Kirkcaldy, Fife. They are members of the Scottish Football League, currently playing in the First Division, having secured promotion from the Second Division as champions in 2009. Rovers have won one national trophy, the...
as a part-timer in 1957. He later said of his time with the two Fife clubs, "I would never have made it in today's circumstances. I needed bastards like Carmichael, Buckard, Ferrier, Herdsman and McNaught
Willie McNaught
Willie McNaught is a Scottish former football player. McNaught holds the Raith Rovers record for the number of appearances with the club of 657 between 1941 and 1962. McNaught was club captain and at international gained five full Scotland caps and six Scottish League caps...
. Young players like I was would simply tell them to get stuffed and take their talent elsewhere. I owe them."
Early career
Baxter joined Raith RoversRaith Rovers F.C.
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Kirkcaldy, Fife. They are members of the Scottish Football League, currently playing in the First Division, having secured promotion from the Second Division as champions in 2009. Rovers have won one national trophy, the...
as a part-timer in 1957.
In June 1960, he joined the 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...
team 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...
for a transfer fee of £17,500, a Scottish record at the time.
His first two seasons at Ibrox were coupled with two years' National service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
as a Black Watch
Black Watch
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The unit's traditional colours were retired in 2011 in a ceremony led by Queen Elizabeth II....
soldier.
Baxter played for Rangers from 1960 to 1965, mainly as an attacking left half. During this period the team won the Scottish League
Scottish Football League Premier Division
The Scottish Football League Premier Division was, from 1975 until 1998, the top division of the Scottish Football League and the entire Scottish football league system...
Championship in 1961, 1963 and 1964, and the 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...
in 1964. Rangers fans remember him as "Slim Jim", and in 18 "Old Firm
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
" games against local rivals Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
– 10 Scottish League, five Scottish 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...
and three Scottish Cup matches – he was only twice on the losing side. His first Rangers game was in August 1960 at inside left against Partick Thistle
Partick Thistle F.C.
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow. Despite their name, the club are based in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908...
in the Scottish League Cup. He scored his first goal for the club in November 1960, against Clyde
Clyde F.C.
Clyde Football Club are a Scottish professional football team currently playing in the Third Division of the Scottish Football League. Although based for the last fifteen years in the new town of Cumbernauld, they are traditionally associated with an area that covers Rutherglen in South...
, and in the same month scored an early goal in Rangers' 8–0 win over the German team Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
. In 1961
1961 European Cup Winners' Cup Final
The 1961 European Cup Winners' Cup Final was a football match contested between Fiorentina of Italy and Rangers of Scotland. It was the first UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final and the only time that the final was played over two legs. The first leg was played at Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow and the second leg...
Baxter played in the Rangers team that contested the first ever European Cup Winners' Cup Final, a two-legged tie that they lost 4–1 on aggregate to Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
.
In December 1964, Baxter played brilliantly, in Tam Dalyell
Tam Dalyell
Sir Thomas Dalyell Loch, 11th Baronet , known as Tam Dalyell, is a British Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons from 1962 to 2005, first for West Lothian and then for Linlithgow.-Early life:...
's opinion, to set up a 2–0 win for Rangers in an away game against Rapid Vienna
SK Rapid Wien
The Sportklub Rapid Wien is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid is the most popular club in Austria and also record title holder having won the Austrian national football title 32 times...
in the European Cup, but late in the game his leg was broken and he was unable to play for four months. He started drinking heavily during this lay-off, and this reduced his fitness.
Scot Symon, the Rangers manager who had signed up Baxter in 1960, may have felt Baxter's best days were past, and sold him in May 1965.
Later career
Baxter joined SunderlandSunderland 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...
for a transfer fee of £72,500, the highest ever paid to a Scottish club at the time. Baxter played 98 games for Sunderland in England's First Division (then the highest one), scoring 12 goals.
In December 1967, Sunderland sold Baxter to English First Division club Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
for £100,000. While there he became friends with cricketer Gary Sobers. After playing 50 games for Forest, in 1969, Baxter was given a free transfer.
Baxter moved back to Rangers. His return to Rangers was brief, as he retired from football in 1970, aged only 31. By the end of his career with Rangers he had made 254 appearances for the club, including victories that led to three Scottish League Championships, three Scottish Cups and four Scottish 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.
International career
In the 1960s Baxter gained 34 capCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
s as a member of strong Scottish teams
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...
, which included Billy McNeill
Billy McNeill
William "Billy" McNeill MBE is a former Scottish footballer and manager. He is best known for captaining Celtic to the European Cup triumph in 1967 and he later went on to manage the club. He is now the official Club Ambassador at Celtic....
, Pat Crerand
Pat Crerand
Patrick Timothy "Paddy" Crerand is a Scottish-born former footballer of Irish descent. After six years at Celtic he moved to Manchester United where he was a member of teams that won the English League title twice, the FA Cup and European Cup...
, John White, Dave Mackay
Dave Mackay
David Craig Mackay is a Scottish former football player and manager. Mackay is best remembered for a highly successful playing career with Heart of Midlothian, the Double winning Tottenham Hotspur side of 1961, and winning the league with Derby County as a manager. He also represented Scotland 22...
, Denis Law
Denis Law
Denis Law is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s....
and John Greig
John Greig
John Greig MBE is a Scottish former professional football player who, despite his boyhood allegiance to hometown team Heart of Midlothian, spent his entire career in Glasgow with Rangers as a player, manager and director.Greig was voted "The Greatest Ever Ranger" in 1999 by the Rangers supporters...
. In his international appearances he scored three goals, and Scotland won 21, drew 3 and lost 10 of these matches. He made his international debut in November 1961, when Scotland beat Northern Ireland
Northern 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...
. Earlier in 1961 Scotland lost 9–3 to England at Wembley, and April 1962 Baxter and Crerand played brilliantly, helping Scotland to gain some revenge with a 2–0 win.
According to many commentators, his greatest performances were against England in 1963 and 1967. Baxter regarded his performance in 1963 as the better of the two. In the 1963 game Scotland were reduced to 10 men when their left back Eric Caldow
Eric Caldow
Eric Caldow is a former Scottish international footballer who played for Rangers, Stirling Albion and Scotland.-Early life:...
's leg was broken in a tackle – substitution
Substitute (football)
In association football, a substitute is a player who is brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. Substitutions are generally made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or who is not performing well; there may also be tactical reasons such as...
s were not allowed in those days. Baxter, supported by Mackay, White and Law, led Scotland to a 2–1 win, scoring both of the goals, the first being Baxter's first-ever penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
, for an English foul on Willie Henderson
Willie Henderson
William "Willie" Henderson is a retired Scottish football player. He played most of his career for Rangers, and spent the latter part of his career with Sheffield Wednesday, in Hong Kong with Hong Kong Rangers and with Airdrieonians. He was a prolific winger...
. Bobby Moore
Bobby Moore
Robert Frederick Chelsea "Bobby" Moore, OBE was an English footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup...
thought this was the best team Scotland ever fielded.
The following year Scotland, again inspired by Baxter and Law, beat England 1–0, and only poor finishing prevented them from scoring a bigger win. In 1966, sixteen months after his leg had been broken, Baxter was no longer able to inspire his team-mates, and Scotland lost 4–3 to England.
In the 1967 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...
, Baxter produced a dominating but controversial performance for Scotland, tantalising England, who had won the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
in 1966, by playing "keepie uppie
Keepie uppie
Keepie uppie, or "kick-ups" is the skill of juggling with a football using feet, lower legs, knees, chest, shoulders, and head, without allowing the ball to hit the ground...
" (ball juggling) while waiting for team-mates to get into good positions. Some commentators accepted that humiliating the opposition was a valid objective, while others regarded it as childish and thought Scotland should have won a more convincing victory than the actual 3–2 scoreline. Team-mate Denis Law expressed opinions on both sides of this debate, saying that Baxter was "the best player on the park" and the main reason for the Scots' victory, but complaining that Baxter's lack of urgency had prevented Scotland from thoroughly avenging the 9–3 defeat in April 1961. Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
said Baxter's performance "could have been set to music". In this game Baxter also conspired with Billy Bremner
Billy Bremner
William John "Billy" Bremner was a Scottish professional footballer, most noted for his captaincy of the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s. He has since been voted Leeds United's greatest player of all time and has a statue outside the South East corner of Elland Road...
against Alan Ball, sending Bremner a "50-50" pass, which allowed Bremner to "hit Ball like a train" when Ball contested possession. As Scotland were the first team to beat England after the 1966 FIFA World Cup
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
, the Tartan Army
Tartan Army
The Tartan Army is a name given to fans of the Scotland national football team. They have won awards from several organisations for their friendly behaviour and charitable work...
proclaimed themselves "unofficial world champions
Unofficial Football World Championships
The Unofficial Football World Championships is a way of calculating the world's best football team, using a knock-out title system similar to that used in boxing and wrestling. The title is currently held by , having been won from Japan in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match on 15 November...
".
In October 1963, which may have been Baxter's best year overall, he played in the "rest of the world" in a match against England to celebrate the centenary of The Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
. He came on to the field in the second half, and his performance won the admiration of Ferenc Puskás
Ferenc Puskás
Ferenc Puskás was a Hungarian footballer and manager. He scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary, and 514 goals in 529 matches in the Hungarian and Spanish leagues. He became Olympic champion in 1952 and was a World Cup finalist in 1954...
. However England won the match 2–1.
Scotland did not qualify for the final stage of the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
during Baxter's playing career. Scottish public opinion at the time blamed lack of commitment by the "Anglos", Scottish-born players who spent little or none of their playing careers in Scotland. However at the time beating England was more important to the Scots. In 1960–61, when Baxter played in all the qualifying matches for the 1962 World Cup
1962 FIFA World Cup
The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final...
, they finished first equal in their qualifying group but lost the play-off against Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
, who were runners-up to Brazil in the Final. Four years later Baxter played in only two of the qualifying games, before breaking his leg in a club game in Vienna. Scotland finished second in their qualifying group, behind Italy. In 1968–69 he was not selected to play in any of the qualifiers for the 1970 World Cup
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
.
International goals
- Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 2 May 1962 Hampden Park Hampden ParkHampden 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...
, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow 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...
1–3 2–3 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...2. 6 April 1963 Wembley Stadium, London LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
1–0 3–1 1963 British Home Championship 1963 British Home ChampionshipThe 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...3. 2–0
Personal life and retirement
After moving to RangersRangers 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...
, Baxter became a notorious womaniser. In his words, "One day, I was a Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers F.C.
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Kirkcaldy, Fife. They are members of the Scottish Football League, currently playing in the First Division, having secured promotion from the Second Division as champions in 2009. Rovers have won one national trophy, the...
player who couldnae pull the birds at the Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is 5 miles north-east of Dunfermline and 18 miles north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a Police Burgh in 1890...
Palais. The next day I was 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...
and the girls were throwing themselves at me. It was certainly a change and I wasn't letting it go by." However in 1965 he married Jean Ferguson, a hairdresser, and the couple brought up two sons Alan and Steven. His marriage to Jean broke down in 1981 and the two divorced. Jean married golfer William McCondichie three years later. In 1983 Baxter formed a relationship with Norma Morton, and the couple remained together until his death in 2001.
Baxter was free of the sectarianism
Sectarianism in Glasgow
Sectarianism in Glasgow takes the form of religious and political sectarian rivalry between Roman Catholics and Protestants. It is reinforced by the fierce rivalry between Celtic F.C. and Rangers F.C., the two Old Firm football clubs...
that marked the rivalry between 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...
's two leading teams. His close friends included the Celtic players Billy McNeill
Billy McNeill
William "Billy" McNeill MBE is a former Scottish footballer and manager. He is best known for captaining Celtic to the European Cup triumph in 1967 and he later went on to manage the club. He is now the official Club Ambassador at Celtic....
, Pat Crerand
Pat Crerand
Patrick Timothy "Paddy" Crerand is a Scottish-born former footballer of Irish descent. After six years at Celtic he moved to Manchester United where he was a member of teams that won the English League title twice, the FA Cup and European Cup...
and Mike Jackson
Mike Jackson (footballer)
Mike Jackson is a Scottish former professional association footballer and manager. He played for numerous clubs in Scotland and also had a spell in the Republic of Ireland. he played at Inside Forward...
, in defiance of the unwritten old firm rule that players did not associate and the Rangers' directors policy.
Like some other British football stars of the late 20th century, Baxter drank to excess, and at one point was said to be consuming three bottles of Bacardi
Bacardi
Bacardi is a family-controlled spirits company, best known as a producer of rums, including Bacardi Superior and Bacardi 151. The company sells in excess of 200 million bottles per year in nearly 100 countries...
a day. Scotland team-mate Dave Mackay unsuccessfully advised him to train harder and live more sensibly. Baxter often got falling-down drunk the night before a match, but this did not seem to hamper his play, and team managers took little notice of his drinking. After retiring from football Baxter became a pub licensee, an unsuitable career for a problem drinker. At the age of 55 he needed two liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
transplants
Organ transplant
Organ transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
in four days, and promised to quit drinking.
His other life-long addiction was gambling, at which he lost £500,000 by his own estimate and £250,000 by third-party estimates. Later in his life, when asked if earning the huge incomes of footballers in later decades would have made a difference, he replied, "Aye, I would have gambled £50,000 a week on the horses instead of £100."
In February 2001, Baxter was diagnosed as suffering from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
of the pancreas
Pancreas
The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin, as well as a digestive organ, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that assist...
, and he died at his home on Glasgow's South Side on the 14 April 2001, with his partner Norma and his sons Alan and Steven at his bedside. His funeral was held in Glasgow Cathedral
Glasgow Cathedral
The church commonly known as Glasgow Cathedral is the Church of Scotland High Kirk of Glasgow otherwise known as St. Mungo's Cathedral.The other cathedrals in Glasgow are:* The Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew...
, where a reading was given by Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
, a long-time fan of Raith Rovers F.C.
Raith Rovers F.C.
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Kirkcaldy, Fife. They are members of the Scottish Football League, currently playing in the First Division, having secured promotion from the Second Division as champions in 2009. Rovers have won one national trophy, the...
, where Baxter began his career.
Legacy
Baxter was noted for accurate passes, for sending opponents the wrong way with a swivel of his hips, and for inspiring team-mates with his confident approach. Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
manager Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
described Baxter as "arguably the best player to play in Scottish football" and "the greatest player I ever played with ... He had touch, balance, vision and just this wonderful aura ..." Rangers manager Willie Waddell
Willie Waddell
Willie Waddell is a former professional footballer who played as a defender for Aberdeen and Kettering Town. Waddell played for Aberdeen in the 1947 Scottish Cup Final victory against Hibernian.- Notes :...
said, "Jim was the finest left half ever produced by Rangers." Jimmy Johnstone
Jimmy Johnstone
James Connolly "Jimmy" Johnstone was a Scottish football player. Johnstone was best known for his time with Celtic, and was voted their best ever player by the club's fans in 2002...
, who played for Ranger's great rivals Celtic, said shortly after Baxter's death, "He was a great man and a genius on the ball." Allegedly Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
once said that Baxter should have been a Brazilian
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
. After Baxter's performance in the 1963 "rest of the world" vs England match, Ferenc Puskás
Ferenc Puskás
Ferenc Puskás was a Hungarian footballer and manager. He scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary, and 514 goals in 529 matches in the Hungarian and Spanish leagues. He became Olympic champion in 1952 and was a World Cup finalist in 1954...
asked, "Where has this fellow been hiding?"
Baxter is a member of the Rangers supporters' Hall of Fame, and one of the first 50 added to the Scottish Sporting Hall of Fame when it was created in 2005. In 2004, he was also inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame
Scottish Football Hall of Fame
The Scottish Football Hall of Fame is located at the Scottish Football Museum. Inductees are picked each year by fans and a committee selects the eight finalists who are inducted at an annual dinner....
. He played most of his best football in his early twenties, before the leg fracture against Rapid Vienna in December 1964 and the start of his heavy drinking that made his nickname "Slim Jim" less appropriate.
Baxter attracted attention by his stylish play, controlling the game with "unhurried artistry" and refusing to conform with the "efficient" style that dominated English football or the energetic, physical style that was typical of Rangers at the time. He described his approach as "treating the ball like a woman. Give it a cuddle, caress it a wee bit, take your time, and you'll get the required response". Although Rangers insisted that players tuck their shirts completely into their shorts, Baxter always let part of his dangle over his left hip. He was also noted as a joker on the pitch. After the replay
Replay
Replay may refer to:*Replay , a replayed match in between two sport teams to decide in case of tie or conflict resulting from scoring, officiating, fouling or other factors...
of the 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...
Final against Celtic in 1963 he stuffed the match ball up his shirt and later gave it to a new member of the team. The SFA
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
insisted that the ball should be returned, and Rangers sent them a ball, but possibly not the match ball.
The Tartan Army
Tartan Army
The Tartan Army is a name given to fans of the Scotland national football team. They have won awards from several organisations for their friendly behaviour and charitable work...
unsuccessfully attempted to get the new Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
footbridge named after him, and on 24 February 2005 Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Pete Wishart presented an Early Day Motion
Early day motion
An Early Day Motion , in the Westminster system, is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabled by Members of Parliament for debate "on an early day" . Controversial EDMs are not signed by Government Ministers, PPS or the Speaker of the House of Commons and very few are debated on the floor...
in the House of Commons supporting this campaign.
In 2003, a statue of Baxter was erected in his birthplace, Hill of Beath
Hill of Beath
Hill of Beath is a village in Fife, Scotland just outside Dunfermline and joined to Cowdenbeath.It is the birthplace of Rangers F.C legend Jim Baxter, and Celtic F.C midfielder Scott Brown.-See also:* Hill of Beath Hawthorn F.C....
in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, after a campaign that raised £80,000.