| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Alexander Woodburn[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1919-08-08)8 August 1919 | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 2 December 2001(2001-12-02) (aged 82) | ||
| Place of death | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| – | Edinburgh Ashton | ||
| – | Musselburgh Athletic | ||
| 1937–1954 | Rangers | 216 | (2) |
| International career | |||
| 1947–1951 | Scottish League XI | 7 | (0) |
| 1947–1952 | Scotland | 24 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
William Alexander Woodburn (8 August 1919 – 2 December 2001)[3] was aScottishfootballer who played forRangers andScotland. He was the last footballer in Britain to receive a life ban from the game forindiscipline, although the ban was later rescinded and he has since been inducted into both theScottish Football Hall of Fame and the Rangers Hall of Fame.
Born inEdinburgh, he played forjunior side Edinburgh Ashton before signing as a professional forRangers in October 1937.[4][5] He made his debut on 20 August 1938 in a 2–2 draw in the League againstMotherwell and made 12 appearances as the club won theleague title. AfterWorld War II (during which numerous trophies made their way toIbrox, although Woodburn was considered a reserve player for part of that time),[6] he established himself in the Rangers side and won four moreScottish league championships and fourScottish Cups with the club as a member of its strong defensive unit known as the 'Iron Curtain'.[6] He appeared in the firstScottish League Cup Final in April 1947, when Rangers beat Aberdeen4–0 and won it a second time two years later.[7]
In 1947 he received a 14-day ban for a "violent exchange" with Motherwell'sDavie Mathie, then in 1953 he punched theClyde strikerBilly McPhail, which earned a 21-day ban. Later that year, Woodburn was sent off for retaliation in a match withStirling Albion. The clubs met again the following season in a League Cup tie at Ibrox on 28 August 1954. Playing with a knee injury, Woodburn took exception to a bad foul and retaliated by headbutting a Stirling player. TheScottish Football Association convened a disciplinary hearing the following month, which lasted just four minutes, and Woodburn was suspendedsine die.[6] The England internationalTom Finney, one of many well-known forwards Woodburn had encountered in his international career, described the ban as "a grave injustice". The SFA revoked their punishment three years later, but by then Woodburn was 37 and his playing career was over.
Woodburn won 24 internationalcaps forScotland between 1947 and 1952.[2] He made his debut in a 1–1 draw withEngland atWembley. Woodburn also appeared seven times for theScottish League XI.[8]
After his retirement from football Woodburn ran a garage business before becoming a sportswriter with theNews of the World.[9]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 1947 | 5 | 0 |
| 1949 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1950 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1951 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1952 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 24 | 0 | |
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