Rangers Football Club 0 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 (edited) TRIBUTE to 50s star who was a Euro pioneer More... RANGERS have been saddened by the news of the death of 1950s star Sammy Baird, who passed away peacefully at home this morning. Sammy, who was 79, spent nearly six years at Ibrox in Scot Symon's side and made 172 appearances in all competitions scoring 52 goals. He was signed from Preston North End in the summer of 1955 having spent one season in England after starting his career with Clyde where he played from 1949 to 1954. Baird was a left half in the old parlance or an inside forward and he was a highly successful player for Rangers playing beside men like Billy Simpson, Max Murray, Alex Scot and Johnny Hubbard with Ian McColl, Harold Davis, Eric Caldow and Bobby Shearer behind him. Baird made an instant impact on the supporters by scoring twice in a 4-0 crushing of Celtic in a League Cup sectional tie. He won the Championship in his first season, scoring 14 goals in 33 appearances as Rangers finished six points clear of Aberdeen. He was a title-winner again in 1956/57 when Rangers put together a sensational 16-game unbeaten run to pip Hearts by two points. Baird was involved in Rangers' first ever match in European football that season when the Light Blues played OGC Nice in the European Cup. Indeed he had a fine record in European football, scoring five goals in 16 appearances and was part of the Rangers side that reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1959/60 only to lose heavily to Eintracht Frankfurt. It was in this season that Baird won his third major medal when he got his hands on the Scottish Cup for the first time when Rangers beat Kilmarnock 2-0 in the final. Baird only made one appearance in the 1960/61 season and he was transferred to Hibs on October 6, 1960 for �£6000 and spent two seasons with the Easter Road men. He then had a season with Third Lanark before moving to Stirling Albion where he played for a season before becoming manager. Sammy also held the distinction of being the first Rangers player to score in the World Cup Finals when he went to Sweden with Scotland in 1958 and netted in a 2-1 defeat by France. In all he made seven Scotland appearances and also scored in a 2-0 friendly win over Yugoslavia. Rangers' thoughts are with Sammy's family at this time. Edited April 21, 2010 by Bluedell 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluedell 5,367 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Sad news. RIP. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluedell 5,367 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim White 0 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Former Rangers and Scotland player Sammy Baird has died at the age of 79. More... 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gers4Life 0 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Condolences to his family RIP. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CammyF 7,017 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 RIP Sammy Sammy owned a pub in Bo'ness for many a year and was a true gentleman. Cammy F 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainstandbear 0 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 RIP Sammy Baird 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Cole 0 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Always sad to hear this of one of our own. RIP. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 I was just too young to remember him but another i remember my father talking about as a Rangers great. RIP Sammy! Condolences to his family. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 8,199 Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 Sad news.. RIP 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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