Andrew Douglas Busby (8 December 1947 – 1 July 2022) was a Scottish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played for Third Lanark, Airdrieonians, Hearts,

Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard may refer to: *Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984), the original soccer club, a franchise of the North American Soccer League *Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993), the later club and franchise of the Canadian Soccer League *Toronto Azzurri B ...

and Morton. Busby also served Queen of the South as their player-manager.

Career

Busby started his senior career at Third Lanark, but the club went out of business in 1967 at the end of his first season. Drew scored Thirds' last goal in a 5–1 defeat at Boghead against Dumbarton on 28 April. Without a club, he dropped down to Junior level for three seasons, playing for his local side

Vale of Leven The Vale of Leven () is an area of West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, in the valley of the River Leven, Dunbartonshire, River Leven. Historically, it was part of The Lennox, the name of which derives from the Gaelic term ''Leamhnach'', meaning ''fie ...

. Busby returned to the senior game in 1970 with Airdrieonians. Known for his robust style of play, he formed a formidable attacking partnership with

Drew Jarvie Andrew Jarvie (born 5 October 1948) is a Scottish former footballer, known mostly for his time with Aberdeen. At Aberdeen he made 386 appearances (53 as substitute) and scored 131 goals as well winning the Scottish League Cup and Scottish Leagu ...

and scored 43 goals in 93 league games. With Airdrie facing relegation in 1973, Hearts manager Bobby Seith stepped in to sign Busby for a fee of £35,000. In six seasons at Tynecastle, Busby scored 84 goals in all competitions, played in the 1976 Scottish Cup Final and was popular with the Hearts support. Relegation for the second time in three seasons however forced the club to cut costs and Busby was released at the end of the 1978–79 campaign. Following two seasons in the NASL with the nascent

, Busby returned to Scotland and joined Morton (scoring on his league debut for the Greenock club) before becoming player-manager of Dumfries club Queen of the South in 1982. After two seasons with little success, Busby retired in 1984. Former players, Ted McMinn, Jimmy Robertson and

George Cloy George Cloy is a Scottish former professional footballer who played his entire 12-year senior career with Dumfries club Queen of the South as a utility player. Cloy also played for Kello Rovers, Threave Rovers, Dalbeattie Star and Crichton. ...

have all subsequently been interviewed by the club and spoken well of Busby.

Crawford Boyd Crawford Boyd is a Scottish former professional footballer. Crawford Boyd is best known for his time at Dumfries club, Queen of the South The defensive cornerstone of the 1970s returned to Queens during the promotion campaign of 1980–81 to m ...

cited a difference of opinion with Busby as being behind his own departure from Queens. Busby was the landlord of the Waverley Bar in Dumbarton. He published an autobiography in July 2013, "The Drew Busby Story". In May 2014 he was inducted into the Airdrieonians Hall Of Fame at the annual Player Of The Year Award Dinner. Busby died on 1 July 2022, at the age of 74.

References

External links

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Article from The Scotsman, November 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Busby, Drew 1947 births 2022 deaths Footballers from Glasgow Scottish men's footballers Third Lanark A.C. players Vale of Leven F.C. players Airdrieonians F.C. (1878) players Heart of Midlothian F.C. players Queen of the South F.C. players Greenock Morton F.C. players Scottish Football League players Scottish expatriate men's footballers Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Canada Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984) players Men's association football forwards Scottish football managers Queen of the South F.C. managers Scottish Junior Football Association players Scottish Football League managers North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players