Robert Smyth McColl

Robert Smyth McColl (13 April 1876 – 25 November 1959) was a Scottish footballer who played as a centre forward.

"R. S. McColl" redirects here. For the newsagents named after him, see RS McColl.

Robert McColl
McColl, circa 1901
Personal information
Full name Robert Smyth McColl[1]
Date of birth 13 April 1876
Place of birth St Rollox, Scotland[2]
Date of death 25 November 1959(1959-11-25) (aged 83)[2]
Place of death Newton Mearns, Scotland[3]
Position(s)
Youth career
1892–1894 Benmore
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1894–1901 Queen's Park 19 (10)
1901–1904 Newcastle United 64 (18)
1904–1907 Rangers 27 (13)
1907–1912 Queen's Park 57 (30)
International career
1896–1908 Scotland 13 (13)
1901 Scottish League XI 1 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

McColl started his career with junior club Benmore in 1892 and moved to Queen's Park in 1894.[4] He represented the Scottish League in 1901.[5] He later played professionally in England for Newcastle United,[1] remaining on Tyneside for three years until he came back to Glasgow in 1904 to play for Rangers.[6] He returned to Queen's Park in 1907, although the restoration of his amateur status had to be decided by the board of the club beforehand.[7][8] McColl finished his football career in 1912, scoring 6 goals in his penultimate game against Port Glasgow Athletic,[2] a Scottish scoring record which stands to the present day.

McColl played 13 games and scored 13 goals for the Scotland national football team and he was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in November 2011.[9][10] He is the only player to have scored a hat-trick against each of the other home nations.[3]

Personal life

McColl is now better known for lending his name to the newsagent chain RS McColl, which he set up in 1901 with his brother Tom;[11] due to this, he became known as Toffee Bob. He served as a sergeant in the Royal Army Service Corps during the First World War.[12]

Death

McColl died in 1959, aged 83. He is buried in Cathcart Cemetery in southern Glasgow.[13][14]

Career statistics

International
Appearances and goals by national team and year[9]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Scotland 189622
189711
189811
189936
190023
190120
190210
190300
190400
190500
190600
190700
190810
Total1313
Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each McColl goal.
List of international goals scored by Smyth McColl
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1.28 March 1896Solitude Ground, Belfast Ireland1–03–31895–96 British Home Championship
2.2–1
3.27 March 1897Ibrox Park, Glasgow Ireland3–05–11896–97 British Home Championship
4.26 March 1988Solitude Ground, Belfast Ireland2–03–01897–98 British Home Championship
5.18 March 1899Racecourse Ground, Wrexham Wales2–06–01898–99 British Home Championship
6.5–0
7.6–0
8.25 March 1899Celtic Park, Glasgow Ireland1–09–1
9.4–0
10.6–0
11.7 April 1900Celtic Park, Glasgow England1–04–11899–1900 British Home Championship
12.3–0
13.4–1

See also

References
  1. Joyce, Michael (16 October 2012). Football League Players' Records 1888–1939 (3rd Revised ed.). Tony Brown. p. 183. ISBN 9781905891610.
  2. "Name: McColl, Robert Smyth". QPFC.com – A Historical Queen's Park FC Website. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  3. Mitchell, Andy (2021). The men who made Scotland: The definitive Who's Who of Scottish Football Internationalists 1872-1939. Amazon. ISBN 9798513846642.
  4. "McColl Bob Image 2 Queen's Park 1901". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  5. "Robert Smyth McColl – Scotland Football League Record from 16 Mar 1901 to 16 Mar 1901 clubs – Queens Park". Londonhearts.com. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  6. Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
  7. Cairney, John (15 April 2011). A Scottish Football Hall of Fame. Random House. ISBN 9781780570594.
  8. People | Robert S. McColl, QPFC.com
  9. Robert Smyth McColl at the Scottish Football Association
  10. Pattullo, Alan (14 November 2011). "Pat Crerand and Terry Butcher among new boys in Hall of Fame". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  11. R S McColl (Mitchell Library, The Bailie), The Glasgow Story
  12. "Queen's Park And The Great War: 1914 To 1918" (PDF). p. 7. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  13. McColl was your man for corners..., Lost Glasgow, 23 September 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022
  14. Friends of Cathcart presents Footballers of Cathcart: one of Glasgow's Footballing Graveyards, Football Makes Glasgow via YouTube, 11 January 2022
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