William Longair

William Longair (19 July 1870 – 28 November 1926) was a Scottish footballer who played as a half-back for Dundee in the 1890s. When he retired from playing, he became the club's trainer for over two decades, and remained an influential figure at the club.[1]

William Longair
Personal information
Full name William Longair
Date of birth (1870-07-19)19 July 1870
Place of birth Dundee, Scotland
Date of death 16 June 1926(1926-06-16) (aged 55)
Position(s) Half back
Youth career
0000–1887 Rockwell High School
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1887–1893 Dundee East End
1893–1895 Dundee 34 (1)
1895 Newton Heath 1 (0)
1895–1896 Dundee 16 (1)
1896 Sunderland 2 (0)
1896–1897 Burnley 2 (0)
1897–1898 Dundee 11 (0)
1898 Brighton United
1899–1902 Dundee 53 (1)
Total 119+ (3+)
International career
1894 Scotland 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Born in Dundee, Longair began his football career with Dundee F.C. in the early 1890s. He made his debut for Scotland in March 1894, and signed for Newton Heath in February 1895. He played for Newton Heath for four months, making one appearance, before returning to Dundee in June 1895.[2] Short spells at Sunderland and Burnley followed in the 1896–97 season,[3][4][5] before he moved to Brighton United in 1898 after a brief return up north. He returned to Dundee once again in May 1899, retiring from football in 1902.

Longair would later go on to become the club's trainer and perform the role for over 20 years, including training the eventual 1910 Scottish Cup winners.[6] Longair would also become Dundee's groundsman in 1924.[7] Upon his death in 1926, a crowd of approximately 20,000 lined the streets as his coffin passed to honour his services to the club and the city.[6]

His uncle, also named William Longair, was Lord Provost of the Burgh of Dundee from 1905 to 1908.

On 3 April 2009, Longair was inducted into Dundee's Hall of Fame (Heritage Award).[6][8]

References
  1. "William Longair | Player Statistics | Dundee (Dee Archive)". deearchive.co.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  2. "William Longair - Manchester United Player Profile & Stats". mufcinfo.com. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  3. "Sunderland AFC - Statistics, History and Records - from TheStatCat". thestatcat.co.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  4. kjehan (26 December 1896). "Burnley v Liverpool 4-1 (League match: December 26, 1896)". "Play Up, Liverpool". Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  5. kjehan (2 March 1897). "Sunderland v Burnley 1-1 (League match: March 2, 1897)". "Play Up, Liverpool". Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  6. "Hall of Fame". Dundee Football Club - Official Website. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  7. "William Longair b. 19 Jul 1870 Dundee, Angus, Scotland d. 28 Nov 1926 Dundee, Angus, Scotland: The Grahams of Helensburgh". graham-clan.co.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  8. "Hall of Fame - Tribute to heroes". dundeefc.co.uk. Dundee FC. Retrieved 4 April 2009.


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