Footballer
Born: July 10, 1949
Died: October 17, 2015
Johnny Hamilton, who has died after a long illness at the age of just 66, was a skillful footballer who won major honours with both Hibernian and Rangers.
Born in July 1949 in Glasgow, the young John Hamilton grew up in the Possilpark area, playing football with Possil YM before joining the Junior ranks with Benburb and Cumbernauld United.
Senior football beckoned in 1969 when he signed for Hibernian manager Bob Shankly and he made his debut on the opening day of Season 1969-70 in a 4-1 home League Cup win over Clyde on 9th August.
A talented midfielder with distinctive long dark hair, Hamilton quickly made himself at home in Leith and was popular with team-mates and supporters alike. His first goal for Hibernian would be a memorable one, coming against Jock Stein's Celtic at Parkhead in a 2-1 League win on 13th September 1969.
That would be the first of 17 goals Hamilton would score in his Easter Road career. Perhaps his best season at Easter Road would be that of 1970-71 when he made 25 competitive appearances, including featuring in memorable Inter-Cities Fairs Cup-ties (the forerunner of today's Europa League) against Malmo, Vitoria Guimaraes of Portugal and Liverpool.
The arrival of Eddie Turnbull as manager from Aberdeen in the summer of 1971 hanselled a new era for Hibernian. Hamilton made a good start under the new boss, scoring in a 2-0 win against Edinburgh rivals Hearts at Tynecastle that September – but competition for places was fierce as the team many Easter Road fans regard as the club's finest of the last six decades came together, christened Turnbull's Tornadoes.
Johnny Hamilton was a key squad member of that great team, equally at home on the right wing or in the middle of the park – but not an automatic choice. He was an unused substitute when Hibernian defeated Celtic 2-1 at Hampden in the 1972-73 League Cup Final and adopted the same role on New Year's Day 1973 at Tynecastle, a day that will forever be etched in the memory of all Easter Road fans as Turnbull's Tornadoes overwhelmed great rivals Hearts 7-0.
Although no longer an automatic choice, it was something of a surprise when he was freed by Eddie Turnbull in the summer of 1973. He did not have to wait long to be snapped up – joining boyhood favourites Rangers soon afterwards and confessing that the call from Ibrox Manager Jock Wallace had taken him so much by surprise that he hung up on the 'Gers Boss, believing him to be a hoaxer.
Nicknamed 'Dingy', Hamilton soon settled to life at his beloved Ibrox. Although remaining very much a practical joker, he impressed his new team-mates with his dedicated training. He found the net on his debut in Light Blue – coming on as a substitute in a 3-0 Drybrough Cup win at Ibrox on 28th July 1973.
It would be two years before Dingy fully established himself at Ibrox – a key member of the side making 33 appearances in all games in the Treble – winning season of 1975-76, securing both League Championship and Scottish Cup Winners' Medals with his keen positional sense and accurate distribution - key assets as the Light Blues swept all before them.
He remained a Rangers regular for the following season – but the arrival of youngster Robert Russell from Shettleston Juniors restricted his appearances in 1977-78. Ironically Russell had been coached by Hamilton at his old club Possil YM.
Nevertheless Hamilton completed the full set of domestic medals when he played in that season's League Cup Final against Celtic, won 2-1 by Rangers, coming in for the flu-stricken Russell.
One month later Hamilton was released by Rangers, having fallen out with Jock Wallace. The release mirrored his experience with Hibernian, causing him to reflect somewhat ironically that he should perhaps move to a country that had no League Cup tournament.
In all he had played exactly 100 games for Rangers, scoring 15 goals.
Hamilton moved south to Millwall Athletic but failed to settle in London, playing just two games before returning to Scotland and signing for St Johnstone, for whom he would play 41 games in two years, netting six times.
He returned to Junior football with Blantyre Celtic but retired soon afterwards.
Away from football Hamilton worked as a scaffolder, on the oil rigs and at a supermarket distribution centre near his home in Uddingston as well as working behind the bar at Jim Baxter's public house near Ibrox.
He died on Saturday 17th October following a long illness.
ROBERT MCELROY
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