Archie Baird facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Archibald MacKechnie Baird | ||
| Date of birth | 8 May 1919 | ||
| Place of birth | Rutherglen, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 3 November 2009 (aged 90) | ||
| Place of death | Aberdeen, Scotland | ||
| Playing position | Inside forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rutherglen Glencairn | |||
| Strathclyde | |||
| 1938–1939 | Aberdeen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1940 | → Leeds United (guest) | 1 | (0) |
| 1946–1953 | Aberdeen | 104 | (26) |
| 1953–1956 | St Johnstone | 77 | (3) |
| Total | 182 | (29) | |
| National team | |||
| 1946 | Scotland | 1 | (0) |
|
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Archibald MacKechnie Baird (born May 8, 1919 – died November 3, 2009) was a Scottish footballer. He was known for playing as an inside forward. Archie played for two main clubs: Aberdeen and St Johnstone. He also played one game for the Scotland national football team.
Archie's Football Journey
Archie Baird was born in a town called Rutherglen in Scotland. He started playing football for local youth teams. Just before World War II began, he signed with Aberdeen. However, the war started before he could play for their main team.
During the war, Archie joined the British Army. He was captured and became a prisoner of war. But here's an amazing part of his story: he managed to escape! After his escape, he lived with an Italian family who treated him like their own son. In 1989, Archie wrote a book about his experiences called Family of Four.
Archie returned to Aberdeen before the war ended. He played so well that he was chosen to play for the Scottish national team in a friendly game against Belgium in 1946. It was a special game because many players, including Archie, were playing for Scotland for the first time.
Archie helped Aberdeen win the Southern League Cup in 1946. This was a competition similar to today's Scottish League Cup. He also helped them win the Scottish Cup in 1947. Even though he had some injuries, he played 104 league games for Aberdeen and scored 26 goals. In 1953, he moved to St Johnstone, where he played for three more seasons before he stopped playing football in 1956.
Life After Football
After he retired from playing, Archie Baird became a teacher. He also worked as a sports journalist, writing about sports.
Archie had a famous family connection too! His sister, Mamie Baird, was also a journalist. She married a well-known TV broadcaster named Magnus Magnusson. This made Archie the uncle of their children, including TV producer Jon Magnusson and TV news presenter Sally Magnusson.
Archie celebrated his 90th birthday in May 2009. At that time, he was the oldest living former player for Aberdeen. He passed away peacefully in his sleep on November 3, 2009.
