James Scotland Symon (9 May 1911 – 30 April 1985) was a Scottish football player and manager. He also played cricket for Scotland in an age when it was possible to play and excel in several sports.
Footballer
Symon started his professional career at Dundee in 1930. He then had a three-year spell at English team
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
before signing for boyhood heroes Rangers in 1938. He also won a
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
cap in 1938 against
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
. He only played 37 Scottish League games for Rangers but helped the club win the league title in 1939.
His career was then interrupted by the onset of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
; during the conflict he continued to play for Rangers and made over 250 appearances in unofficial competitions (almost all of which the club won). Symon retired from playing in 1947, making his final appearance a few weeks before his 36th birthday and securing the official league championship again in his final season.
Cricketer
Symon played cricket for
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
in 1938, taking five
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal A ...
wickets for just 33 runs.
Manager
He returned to Rangers in 1954 where he would steer them to six League championships, five Scottish Cups, and four League Cups. He also took the club into European football for the first time, guiding them to two
Cup Winners Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
, both ending in defeat.
Symon was Rangers manager when they lost to Berwick Rangers in the Scottish Cup on 28 January 1967. When Symon was sensationally sacked by Rangers in November 1967 (despite Rangers then leading the league table), he was told of the decision by an accountant.
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...
List of Scottish cricket and football players
This is a list of sportsmen who have played both first-class cricket and professional football in Scotland or England. The list includes four sportsmen who are dual internationals, having represented Scotland's national team at both sports.
List ...