John McCormick (footballer, born 1936)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John McCormick | ||
| Date of birth | 18 July 1936 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 2 July 2017 (aged 80) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| St Roch's | |||
| Third Lanark | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1959–1964 | Third Lanark | 112 | (0) |
| 1964–1965 | Aberdeen | 28 | (0) |
| 1965–1973 | Crystal Palace | 194 | (6) |
| 1973–19?? | Wealdstone | ? | (?) |
| International career | |||
| 1962[1] | SFL trial v SFA | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John McCormick (18 July 1936 – 2 July 2017)[2] was a Scottish professional footballer. Playing as a centre back he made a total of 334 appearances in the Football League and Scottish League, for Third Lanark, Aberdeen and Crystal Palace before moving into non-league football with Wealdstone.
Playing career
[edit]Third Lanark
[edit]He began his senior career at Third Lanark, in 1959 to 1965 and helped his hometown club to a third-placed finish in the Scottish First Division in 1961. In the close season of 1964[3] he moved to Aberdeen after 190 appearances for Lanark, but without scoring.
Aberdeen
[edit]McCormick spent two seasons at Aberdeen making 28 appearances without scoring, before moving to England with teammate Tom White to play for Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace
[edit]Palace manager Bert Head paid just £1,500 for McCormick's services, on 30 May 1966.[2] White had been Head's main target[citation needed] but it was McCormick, after initially understudying Alan Stephenson,[3] who helped the club to its promotion to the First Division for the first time in 1968–69. In that season, McCormick was ever present making 42 appearances and scoring 3 times.[3] In the top flight he formed a solid defensive partnership with fellow centre-half Mel Blyth and won Palace's first ever "Player of the Year" award at the end of the 1971-72 season. He was awarded a testimonial during the next season.[3]
Wealdstone
[edit]During the early part of the 1972–73 season McCormick lost his place, which was taken by Bobby Bell,[4] and was subsequently allowed to leave on a free transfer. He joined Wealdstone, then managed by former Palace colleague Eddie Presland, and helped the club to win the Southern League division one south in 1973–74.[3]
McCormick owned a hotel near Glasgow for 25 years. He lived in East Kilbride.[citation needed]
He died on 2 July 2017 at the age of 80.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Ronnie McDevitt (2016). Scotland in the 60s: The Definitive Account of the Scottish National Football Side During the 1960s. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 9781785312458.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Purkiss, Mike; Sands, Nigel. Crystal Palace: A Complete Record 1905–1989. Breedon Books. p. 332. ISBN 0907969542.
- ^ a b c d e Purkiss, Mike; Sands, Nigel. Crystal Palace: A Complete Record 1905–1989. Breedon Books. p. 81. ISBN 0907969542.
- ^ Purkiss, Mike; Sands, Nigel. Crystal Palace: A Complete Record 1905–1989. Breedon Books. p. 239. ISBN 0907969542.
- ^ What a terrific centre-back he was' - Palace fans pay tribute to star of 1969 team John McCormick after passing away
External links
[edit]- John McCormick at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
- 1936 births
- 2017 deaths
- Footballers from Glasgow
- Scottish men's footballers
- Third Lanark A.C. players
- Aberdeen F.C. players
- Crystal Palace F.C. players
- Wealdstone F.C. players
- Scottish Football League players
- English Football League players
- Men's association football central defenders
- St Roch's F.C. players
- Scottish Football League representative players
- Scottish Junior Football Association players
- 20th-century Scottish sportsmen