Sandy Jardine

William "Sandy" Pullar Jardine (31 December 1948 – 24 April 2014) was a Scottish professional footballer who played for Rangers, Hearts and represented Scotland.

He played over 1000 professional games and twice won the Scottish Football Writers Association Player of the Year award.

Jardine signed for Rangers in 1964.

Signed as a midfielder, he spent a couple of years in the reserves before making his debut aged 18 in a 5–1 league win at home to Hearts on 4 February 1967, playing at right-half.

This match took place a week after Rangers had been knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Berwick Rangers.

He scored his first Rangers goal a few weeks later on 18 March 1967 in a league match against Ayr United.

That same season Jardine played in the 1967 European Cup Winners' Cup Final against Bayern Munich, losing 1–0 after extra time.

Jardine played in various defensive positions as he became a regular under manager Davie White, even as a centre-forward, before finally settling as a right full-back at the start of the 1970–71 season under new manager Willie Waddell.

He proved a revelation at right-back; a strong player who enjoyed marauding forward, he had an excellent turn of pace which ensured he was rarely caught out of position.

The position was where he went on to make the bulk of his 674 appearances for the club.

He won his first major trophy in 1970, Rangers beating Celtic 1–0 in the Scottish League Cup Final.

The following season he was an ever-present in the Rangers side which reached the 1972 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, playing in all eight matches en route to the final and scoring the first goal of a 2–0 win over Bayern Munich in the semi-final.

Jardine went on to help Rangers win the final, defeating Moscow Dynamo 3–2 at the Nou Camp in Barcelona.

Between 27 April 1972 and 30 August 1975, he did not miss a single game for Rangers and played in 171 consecutive matches for them.

He won 38 caps for Scotland and played in the 1974 and 1978 World Cups.

Jardine was also co-manager of Hearts with Alex MacDonald and later worked for Rangers.

Further success continued during this time; in 1974–75 he helped Rangers win their first Scottish league title in 11 years and his performances were acknowledged by the Scottish Football Writers' Association, who voted him their Player of the Year.

Jardine was a key part of the Rangers sides that won the domestic treble in 1975–76 and 1977–78.

He won several honours with Rangers, including two domestic trebles in 1976 and 1978, and was part of the Rangers team that won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1972.

By the early 1980s Rangers were in decline, and 33-year-old Jardine was reluctantly given a free transfer to Hearts in mid-1982 by manager John Greig.

The pair were close friends, having both grown up and lived in Edinburgh, and commuted together to train and play for Rangers in their younger days.

Greig allowed Jardine to leave due to his long service and his stated wish to end his playing career at the club he supported as a boy.

He joined Hearts at a time when their fortunes were at a low ebb, as they had failed to win promotion from the First Division in the 1981–82 season.

Jardine linked up with former Rangers teammate Alex MacDonald, who was now player-manager at the Edinburgh club.

Jardine was now also assistant manager, and according to teammate John Robertson he helped to instil higher standards of professionalism at the club.

Jardine signed for Hearts, the club he had supported as a child, in 1982.

Hearts gained promotion in 1982–83 and became a competitive force in the Premier Division, finishing fifth in their first season back in the top division and qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

Still playing regularly, Jardine was an integral part of the side that almost won the Scottish league championship in 1985–86, finishing second behind Celtic on goal difference.

Robertson said that Jardine's contribution to the team was his ability to read the game and to pass the ball out of the defensive area.

During the season, he made his 1000th professional appearance1 on 16 November 1985 in a league match at home against Rangers.

His performances that season saw him win the Scottish Football Writers Association Player of the Year award again, aged 37.

Jardine was the second player to win the award more than once (John Greig had been the first) and the first player to win the award with two different clubs.

In November 1986, Jardine was appointed joint manager alongside MacDonald.

He continued to feature in the team but by 1987-88 had begun to phase himself out of the side to concentrate on his management duties.

Jardine died in April 2014, 18 months after being diagnosed with liver cancer.

Jardine grew up in Edinburgh in close proximity to Tynecastle Park, the home ground of Hearts who he supported as a youngster.

His ability at football shone through at an early age as he earned local and national schoolboy honours with Balgreen Primary and Tynecastle Secondary.

As a youth he played for North Merchiston Boys Club, United Crossroads Boys Club and Edinburgh Athletic.

He also trained at Hearts' ground.

Although his full name was William Pullar Jardine, he became known as 'Sandy' due to his hair colour.