Gordon McQueen

Lore & Background

McQueen started his footballing career at St Mirren in 1970, but in 1972 was bought by Leeds for £30,000 to replace Jack Charlton. He was a central figure during the 1973–74 campaign, during which the Leeds team were undefeated for the first 29 matches and won the title. McQueen scored three times during the club's European Cup campaign the following season, but was suspended for the final, which Leeds lost. After a controversial move to Leeds' arch-rivals Manchester United, he won the 1983 FA Cup Final. McQueen joined Seiko in Hong Kong for one season in 1985, before retiring and moving into coaching; in that capacity, he managed Airdrieonians and St Mirren for periods in the 1980s. McQueen played thirty times for Scotland, scoring five goals and winning the 1976–77 British Home Championship.

Reader's Guide

McQueen was a goalkeeper as a schoolboy but later switched to centre-back. He was signed at age 18 by St Mirren from Ayrshire Junior team Largs Thistle. He played on six occasions in his first season at Leeds, including a substitute appearance in the 1973 European Cup Winners' Cup final. With Charlton retired, McQueen was in the team for most of the 1973–74 season, playing alongside Norman Hunter as Leeds' first-choice centre back pairing. He was suspended for the 1975 European Cup Final after being sent off in the semi-final versus Barcelona. In February 1978, he moved to Manchester United for £500,000. He played in the 1979 FA Cup Final, scoring United's first goal, but finished on the losing side. He gained an FA Cup winner's medal in the 1983 final. He left Old Trafford in 1985 after persistent knee injuries, then played one season with Seiko before retiring. He helped Scotland win the 1977 British Home Championship and qualify for the 1978 World Cup, but could not play in the tournament due to injury. His last Scotland match was in 1981, with 30 caps and 5 goals. Post-playing, he managed Airdrieonians from 1987 to 1989, coached at St Mirren, then served as reserve-team coach and later first-team coach at Middlesbrough under Bryan Robson. He left Middlesbrough in June 2001 and became a pundit on Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday. In April 2008, he returned to Middlesbrough as assistant scout. He died on 15 June 2023 at age 70 from complications of vascular dementia and CTE.

Did You Know?

• McQueen scored three goals in Leeds United's 1974–75 European Cup campaign.
• He was diagnosed with vascular dementia in January 2021 and died from complications of that and CTE in 2023.