Davie Wilson

Rangers legend and Scottish international outside left, known for his goal-scoring prowess and a decade of success at Ibrox.

David Wilson (10 January 1937 – 13 June 2022) was a Scottish international footballer who played as an outside left. He was perhaps best known for his decade at Rangers in which he played an important role in the club's success of the early 1960s; he also made over 100 appearances for Dundee United. Wilson was also selected 22 times for the Scotland national team, and was later a manager, primarily at Dumbarton where he had ended his playing career.

Quick Facts

Full name: David Wilson
Born: 1937-01-10Birth year given as 1939 in most sources.
Birthplace: Cambuslang, Scotland
Died: 13 June 2022
Place of death: Glasgow, Scotland
Position: Outside left
Total caps: 405
Total goals: 121

Lore & Background

Wilson, a native of the mining village of Newton just outside Glasgow, was a Rangers supporter in childhood. On a visit to Ibrox Stadium he received advice from former star Alan Morton who played left wing, the position in which Wilson became established. As a teenager he was rejected by local Junior club Cambuslang Rangers for being too small, and instead began his career at Baillieston. He soon came to the attention of Rangers who signed him in 1956.

Wilson made his first-team debut on 2 January 1957 just prior to his 20th birthday. He scored six times against Falkirk (a 7–1 win) on 17 March 1962, a club record which has never been equalled since (though Jimmy Smith had achieved the feat twice in the 1930s). He declined an approach from Everton for what would have been a British record transfer fee. Wilson departed from Ibrox aged 30, having scored a total of 159 goals in 382 matches in all competitions.

He was naturally right-footed, and became adept at dribbling with either foot, crossing from the byline on the left, and cutting inside to shoot powerfully with his stronger foot or connect with through balls. He has since been inducted to the Rangers Hall of Fame. In 2017 Wilson became a member of United's Hall of Fame. In 2014, Wilson was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame, which he described as his 'greatest honour'. An authorised biography, Wilson on the Wing, was published in 2020.

Reader's Guide

Wilson was in the squad which won the 1961–62 and 1962–63 editions of the British Home Championship with perfect records, and also shared the 1963–64 title. He enjoyed three wins over rivals England, including scoring in 1962 at Hampden, and playing most of the 1963 fixture at Wembley at left back after his Rangers mate Eric Caldow had his leg broken (before the days of substitutions); he had also featured and scored in Scotland's embarrassing 9–3 defeat in 1961. Wilson also represented the Scottish League XI seven times, scoring three goals.