Wattie Jackson

Walter Darling Fleming "Wattie" Jackson (9 January 1898 – 1951) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a center forward. He spent five seasons in the Scottish Football League, at least one in the English Football League and two in the American Soccer League.[1]

Wattie Jackson
Personal information
Full name Walter Darling Fleming Jackson[1]
Date of birth 9 January 1898[2]
Place of birth Hutchesontown, Scotland
Date of death 1951 (aged 52–53)
Place of death Chicago, United States
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)[2]
Playing position(s) Center Forward
Youth career
Christian Brothers College
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
– Yoker Athletic
1920–1923 Kilmarnock 68 (25)
1923–1924 Bethlehem Steel 23 (13)
1924–1926 Aberdeen 48 (18)
1925–1927 Preston North End
1927–1928 Bethlehem Steel 13 (6)
1928– Philadelphia Centennials ? (7)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Born in Glasgow but raised in Renton, West Dunbartonshire from a very early age, Jackson and his younger brother Alex both played professionally. In 1920, Jackson began his career with Kilmarnock of the Scottish Football League.[3] In 1923, while visiting relatives in Detroit, Michigan, he came to the attention Bethlehem Steel who had recently lost center forward Daniel McNiven to the New York Field Club. The team tracked down Jackson in Michigan and offered him $25.00 per week to play for Bethlehem. This was nearly triple his salary in Scotland and on 25 August 1923, signed with the Steelmen, along with his brother.[4]

After one season in the United States, the Jacksons returned to Scotland to join Aberdeen[2] – Alex moved on after one season, but Wattie stayed for a second, although in October 1925 he joined Preston North End in the Football League. In 1927, he returned to the United States where he re-signed with Bethlehem Steel.[5] He played only thirteen games that season before moving to the Philadelphia Centennials of the Eastern Professional Soccer League.[6]

References
  1. John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. Wattie Jackson, AFC Heritage Trust
  3. (Kilmarnock player) Jackson, Walter, FitbaStats
  4. "Steel Gets Big Soccer Player". Bethlehem Globe. 13 August 1923. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2016 – via GeoCities.
  5. Jose, Colin (1998). American Soccer League, 1921–1931 (Hardback). The Scarecrow Press. (ISBN 0-8108-3429-4).
  6. "Secure Local Players for Bethlehem Team". Bethlehem Globe-Times. 28 December 1928. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2016 – via GeoCities.
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