| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stuart Samuel Baird[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1930-05-13)13 May 1930 | ||
| Place of birth | Denny, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 21 April 2010(2010-04-21) (aged 79) | ||
| Place of death | Bangor, Northern Ireland[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Inside left /Left half | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rutherglen Glencairn | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1949–1954 | Clyde | 90 | (25) |
| 1954–1955 | Preston North End | 15 | (2) |
| 1955–1960 | Rangers | 122 | (39) |
| 1960–1962 | Hibernian | 39 | (5) |
| 1962–1963 | Third Lanark | 24 | (1) |
| 1963–1964 | Stirling Albion | 12 | (1) |
| Total | 302 | (73) | |
| International career | |||
| 1954–1958 | Scottish League XI[3] | 5 | (1) |
| 1956–1958 | Scotland | 7 | (2) |
| 1958[4] | SFA trial v SFL | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1963–1968 | Stirling Albion | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Stuart Samuel Baird (13 May 1930 – 21 April 2010) was a Scottishfootball player andmanager.
During his playing career he played forClyde,Preston North End,Rangers,Hibernian,Third Lanark andStirling Albion. He won three Scottish league titles (1956,1957 and1959) and oneScottish Cup (1960) with Rangers.
Baird won theDivision Two title in1951–52 with Clyde.[2] Baird scored five times for Rangers as they reached the1959–60 European Cup semi finals and was influential for Hibernian on their run to the1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup semi finals. Preston paid £12,000 for his signature and Rangers paid £10,000 for his services. Hibs then forked out £5,000 for him.[5]
He earned seven internationalcaps forScotland from 1956 to 1958. He scored on his debut againstYugoslavia, and also in his last match, a 2–1 defeat byFrance in the1958 FIFA World Cup. The latter goal was the first time a Rangers player scored in a World Cup Finals match.[6] He remains the only Rangers player to do so for Scotland in open play.[7]
Additionally, Baird represented theScottish League XI on five occasions. He scored in his last appearance against theFootball League XI atIbrox in 1958.[8]
He earned earlier representative honours with Clyde. In 1953 against theBritish Army, Baird converted a penalty forScotland XI in 2–2 draw atGoodison Park.[9] As preparation for theFIFA World Cup, Baird played for aScotland XI in a couple of trial matches in 1958.[10]
As Stirling Albion manager, Baird led the team to promotion toDivision One winning theDivision Two title in1964–65.[2]
His Albion team became the firstBritish and first professional team to tour Japan in 1966.[11] The results of the two-match tour were 3–1 against a Japanese All Stars XI and 4–2 against theJapan national team.[11]
He was later sacked in1968 because the club were heading for relegation back to Division Two.[2]
Baird died on the morning of 21 April 2010.[6]
Clyde
Rangers
Hibernian
Third Lanark
Stirling Albion
