Jimmy Millar (footballer, born 1934)

James Millar (born 20 November 1934 in Edinburgh) is a retired footballer who played for Dunfermline Athletic, Rangers and Dundee United, mainly as a centre forward.

Jimmy Millar
Personal information
Full name James Millar
Date of birth (1934-11-20) 20 November 1934
Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Playing position(s) Centre forward
Youth career
1950–1952 Merchiston Thistle
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1952–1955 Dunfermline Athletic 43 (22)
1955–1967 Rangers 197 (91)
1967–1969 Dundee United 18 (3)
Total 258 (117)
National team
1961–1964 Scottish League XI[1] 4 (3)
1963 Scotland 2 (0)
Teams managed
1969–1970 Raith Rovers
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Club

Born in Edinburgh, Millar was signed by Rangers manager Scot Symon for £5000 on 12 January 1955 from Dunfermline Athletic,[2][3] where he had played as a half back and also played in that position on a number of occasions in the early seasons of his career at Ibrox. Millar achieved more success when he played at centre forward in a pre-season tour of America and started scoring goals regularly.[2][3] Millar was an integral part of the Rangers team of the early 1960s, alongside players such as Bobby Shearer, Eric Caldow, Davie Wilson, John Greig, Jim Baxter and Alex Scott. Millar had a highly successful strike partnership with fellow Edinburgh native Ralph Brand during this time. Despite not being particularly tall, he was renowned for his heading ability and bravery.[2][3]

Millar's total of 30 goals in the Scottish Cup is a post-war record for Rangers, equalled only by Derek Johnstone,[3] and on two occasions he scored twice in Scottish Cup finals, in 1960[2] and 1964,[4] another record equalled only by Johnstone. Millar was the first ever substitute to come on for Rangers, replacing Jim Forrest during a 5–0 victory over Falkirk in a league match at Ibrox in October 1966.

Millar was also known for his scoring record against Rangers' arch-rivals Celtic, with 13 goals in Old Firm matches, including two winning goals at Celtic Park in the traditional New Year's Day fixture, in 1960 and 1964. Millar made 317 appearances (197 in the league) for Rangers, scoring 162 goals (91 in the league) and also won three Championships, five Scottish Cups and three Scottish League Cups.[2][5][3]

In the summer of 1967, Millar left Rangers for Dundee United and became manager of Raith Rovers for a brief spell after retiring, before owning a hostelry in Leith.[3]

Millar is a member of the Rangers Hall of Fame.[2]

International

Millar earned two caps for Scotland in 1963 during his spell with Rangers. He also featured four times for the Scottish League XI, scoring three goals.

Personal life

In 2017, Millar's family revealed that for the past decade Jimmy had been suffering from dementia, a condition they believed to be linked to his heading a football.[3]

Honours

Rangers[5]

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References
  1. "Scottish League XI player profile". London Hearts Supports Club. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  2. "Hall of Fame Profile: Jimmy Millar". Rangers F.C. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  3. "Family of Rangers legend Jimmy Millar reveal his secret battle with dementia". Daily Record. 28 May 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  4. "Classic matches: Rangers 3–1 Dundee, April 1964". Rangers F.C. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  5. "Rangers player profile". Fitbastats.com. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
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