George Miller (20 May 1939 – 26 December 2008) was a Scottish
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player and manager. He was a member of the first
Dunfermline Athletic
Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently play in Scottish League One after being relegated from the 2021–22 Scottish Championship. Dunfermline ...
side to win a major honour, the 1961
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Royal Albert, where he would stay until 1959. He was signed by
Dunfermline Athletic
Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently play in Scottish League One after being relegated from the 2021–22 Scottish Championship. Dunfermline ...
before the start of the 1959–60 season, instantly becoming a first-team regular as the ''Pars'' battled against relegation. The arrival of
Jock Stein
John "Jock" Stein (5 October 1922 – 10 September 1985) was a Scottish football player and manager. He was the first manager of a British side to win the European Cup, with Celtic in 1967. Stein also guided Celtic to nine successive Scottish ...
in 1960 transformed the side however, and against the odds they reached 1961 Scottish Cup final against
Celtic
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**Celts (modern)
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Sports Fo ...
. Miller played as a wing-half in an initial 0–0 draw, however an injury to Jackie Williamson required him to move to centre-half for the replay. The subsequent 2–0 victory enshrined that XI's place in Dunfermline folklore and served to galvanise the entire club.
Dunfermline developed into regular challengers at the top end of the league table and Miller notched seven goals as they finished an unprecedented 4th in 1961–62. The team also enjoyed several notable European campaigns, with Miller's individual highlight coming in the 1962–63
Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, sometimes referred to as the European Fairs Cup, Fairs Cities' Cup, or simply as the Fairs Cup, was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. It is often considered the predecessor to the UEFA Cup (no ...
, his 2nd-leg goal helping the ''Pars'' to a memorable 2–1 aggregate victory over English giants Everton.
Miller was the subject of a lucrative transfer bid from
Wolves
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...
in October 1964 and the £28,500 on offer proved too much for Dunfermline to resist. However, he failed to settle in the
West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
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The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
and returned to Scotland after just 13 months after 45 appearances, joining league runners-up Heart of Midlothian in November 1965. He spent three seasons at Tynecastle, with the highlight being a run to the final of the 1967–68 Scottish Cup final, where his former side Dunfermline defeated the ''Maroons'' 3–1.
In November 1968, Miller joined
Falkirk
Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a ...
, then struggling near the bottom of the First Division. Despite his best efforts they were relegated but bounced back to claim the 1969–70 Division Two title. By this stage Miller was approaching veteran status and, after two seasons of First Division consolidation with Falkirk, he left
Brockville Park
Brockville Park was a football stadium located on Hope Street in Falkirk, Scotland, north-west of the town centre. It was the home of Falkirk F.C. from 1885 until the end of 2002–03 Scottish football season.
in 1972 to become manager of recently relegated Dunfermline Athletic in the summer of 1972.
Managerial career
Miller was able to lead the side to promotion in his first season in charge, although
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For townships see also Clyde Township
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took the 1972–73 Second Division title. Miller's first managerial season in the top flight witnessed Dunfermline avoid relegation on goal difference, however it was largely overshadowed by the death of left-back
John Lunn
John Lunn (born 13 May 1956) is an Emmy Award winning Scottish composer, known for the music of the series ''Downton Abbey'' and many other television and movie soundtracks.
Early life and education
Lunn was born in May 1956. His father was a ...
, at only 31 years of age. League reorganisation the next season saw the ''Pars'' placed in the new (second tier) First Division but a disastrous 1975–76 campaign would end in relegation.
Miller resigned his position in late 1975 but was quickly back in the game when appointed Falkirk manager in December 1976. The ''Bairns'' were also struggling though, and ended the season bottom of the First Division and relegated. When Miller could not secure promotion the following year, finishing 9-point behind the second promotion place, his time at Brockville came to an end.
Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Accies, or The Accies, is a Scottish association football, football club from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire who currently compete in the Scottish Championshi ...
was Miller's next port of call, where he worked as commercial manager from 1984. On two occasions he fulfilled the role of caretaker manager, after the departure of Jim Dempsey in 1989 and John Lambie in 1990.
Miller died of cancer on 26 December 2008.
The Scotsman
''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...