| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Livingstone McMillan[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1931-03-18)18 March 1931 | ||
| Place of birth | Airdrie, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 16 February 2024(2024-02-16) (aged 92) | ||
| Position | Inside forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1948–1958 | Airdrieonians | 249 | (102) |
| 1958–1964 | Rangers | 127 | (36) |
| 1964–1966 | Airdrieonians | 52 | (17) |
| Total | 428 | (155) | |
| International career | |||
| 1952–1961 | Scotland | 6 | (2) |
| 1952–1954[2] | Scottish League XI | 2 | (0) |
| 1953[3] | Scotland B | 1 | (1) |
| 1955[4] | Scotland A vs B trial | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1970–1976 | Airdrieonians | ||
| 1985–1986 | Airdrieonians | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Livingstone "Ian"McMillan (18 March 1931 – 16 February 2024) was a Scottishfootballer who played as aninside forward forAirdrieonians,Rangers and theScotland national team.
McMillan was born inAirdrie. Nicknamed "The Wee Prime Minister" (he shared a variant of his surname withthe incumbent of the era),[5][6][7] he started his career with local clubAirdrieonians in 1948 where he would go on to become a club legend.[8] He scored 102 goals in 249 league appearances over ten years for the club[9] in this spell, in the role of scheming inside-forward (a creative midfield position in today's football parlance).[7]
McMillan was atRangers from 1958 until 1964, making 127 league appearances[9] and 200 in all competitions, including the1961 European Cup Winners' Cup Final. TheGers lost out in that tie toFiorentina,[10] but his spell was otherwise very successful,[7] featuring fourScottish League titles (1958–59,1960–61,1962–63 and1963–64), threeScottish Cup winner's medals (1960,1962 and1963), and two from theScottish League Cup (1960 and1961).[11] Despite his prominent role at a major club, he also continued to work in his other profession as a miningsurveyor as he had done as a part-time player.[7] He studied geology as a student at theUniversity of Edinburgh.
McMillan returned to Airdrieonians in 1964[9] where he would remain for a further two years, though affected by injuries.[8]
McMillan wascapped six times by theScotland national team between 1952 and 1961, scoring twice – both against theUnited States in April 1952. McMillan was in Scotland's 22-man1954 World Cup squad, but theSFA decided to take only 13 of the group to the finals, with McMillan staying at home on reserve with the likes ofBobby Combe andJimmy Binning (inside forwardGeorge Hamilton was also on reserve, but travelled afterBobby Johnstone withdrew through injury). He was also the last surviving player of the squad.
McMillan later managed Airdrieonians between 1970 and 1976, taking them to1975 Scottish Cup Final.[8][12] He was latterlyHonorary president of the currentAirdrieonians,[6] a club that was formed as 'Airdrie United' after the original Airdrieonians went out of business in 2002.
Ian McMillan died 16 February 2024, at the age of 92.[13] He was the grandfather ofIain Russell.[14]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 1952 | 3 | 2 |
| 1955 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1956 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1961 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 2 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 April 1952 | Hampden Park,Glasgow, Scotland |  United States | 3–0 | 6–0 | Friendly | [15][1] |
| 2 | 6–0 | [15][1] |
 | ||
