Johnny Campbell (footballer born 1910)
Encyclopedia
John "Johnny" Campbell (7 March 1910 – 6 July 1999) was a Scottish professional footballer who scored 116 goals from 205 games in the Football League
playing as a forward for Leicester City
and Lincoln City
.
, Ayrshire
. He gave up his chemistry studies to join English First Division
club Leicester City
, together with John Calder, his teammate at junior club Dalry Thistle, in July 1931. He scored on his debut for the club, against Birmingham
in December 1932, but despite a respectable goal return – 14 goals from 22 games – he failed to establish himself in the first team. A year later he signed for Lincoln City
for a fee of £1,250, then a club record, but was unable to help the club avoid relegation to the Third Division North
at the end of the 1933–34 Football League season.
Once moved to play at centre forward rather than at outside right, Campbell began to score freely, and was Lincoln's top scorer for four consecutive seasons, from 1934–35 to 1937–38. By the time he retired from League football due to injury in the summer of 1939, Campbell had produced 108 goals from only 193 first-team games. He then joined Midland League
club Scunthorpe & Lindsey United
, returning to Lincoln to play in the wartime competitions.
Campbell went on to complete his studies, earning a degree in chemistry and ophthalmics, and became superintendent chemist/optician
for the Lincoln Co-operative Society. He retired in 1975, and died in July 1999 at the age of 89.
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
playing as a forward for Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
and Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
.
Career
Campbell was born in StevenstonStevenston
Stevenston is a town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is one of the 'Three Towns' along with Ardrossan and Saltcoats.-History:The town is named after Stephan Loccard or Lockhart, whose father obtained a grant of land from Richard de Morville, Lord Cunninghame and Constable of Scotland, around 1170....
, Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
. He gave up his chemistry studies to join English First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
club Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, together with John Calder, his teammate at junior club Dalry Thistle, in July 1931. He scored on his debut for the club, against Birmingham
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in December 1932, but despite a respectable goal return – 14 goals from 22 games – he failed to establish himself in the first team. A year later he signed for Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
for a fee of £1,250, then a club record, but was unable to help the club avoid relegation to the Third Division North
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
at the end of the 1933–34 Football League season.
Once moved to play at centre forward rather than at outside right, Campbell began to score freely, and was Lincoln's top scorer for four consecutive seasons, from 1934–35 to 1937–38. By the time he retired from League football due to injury in the summer of 1939, Campbell had produced 108 goals from only 193 first-team games. He then joined Midland League
Midland Football League
There have been at least two different football competitions in England which used the name Midland Football League.One existed until 1982 before merging with the Yorkshire League to form the Northern Counties League....
club Scunthorpe & Lindsey United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
, returning to Lincoln to play in the wartime competitions.
Campbell went on to complete his studies, earning a degree in chemistry and ophthalmics, and became superintendent chemist/optician
Optician
An optician is a person who is trained to fill prescriptions for eye correction in the field of medicine, also known as a dispensing optician or optician, dispensing...
for the Lincoln Co-operative Society. He retired in 1975, and died in July 1999 at the age of 89.