Dave Mackay facts for kids
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Mackay in 2006
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Craig Mackay | ||
| Date of birth | 14 November 1934 | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 2 March 2015 (aged 80) | ||
| Place of death | Nottingham, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Playing position | Left-half / Sweeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1953–1959 | Heart of Midlothian | 135 | (25) |
| 1959–1968 | Tottenham Hotspur | 268 | (42) |
| 1968–1971 | Derby County | 122 | (5) |
| 1971–1972 | Swindon Town | 26 | (1) |
| Total | 601 | (82) | |
| National team | |||
| 1954–1958 | Scotland U23 | 4 | (1) |
| 1957–1965 | Scotland | 22 | (4) |
| 1957–1958 | Scottish League XI | 3 | (0) |
| 1958 | SFL trial v SFA | 1 | (0) |
| 1959–1962 | SFA trial v SFL | 3 | (2) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1971–1972 | Swindon Town | ||
| 1972–1973 | Nottingham Forest | ||
| 1973–1976 | Derby County | ||
| 1977–1978 | Walsall | ||
| 1978 | Al-Arabi Kuwait | ||
| 1983 | Al-Shabab | ||
| 1987 | Al-Arabi Kuwait | ||
| 1987–1989 | Doncaster Rovers | ||
| 1989–1991 | Birmingham City | ||
| 1991–1993 | Zamalek | ||
| 1994–1995 | Qatar | ||
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David Craig Mackay (born 14 November 1934 – died 2 March 2015) was a famous Scottish football player and manager. He was known for his successful time playing for Heart of Midlothian and Tottenham Hotspur. He also led Derby County to win the league as a manager.
Mackay played 22 times for the Scotland national team. He was part of their team for the 1958 FIFA World Cup. In 1969, he was named FWA Footballer of the Year. Tottenham Hotspur called him one of their greatest players. He was known as the "heartbeat" of their most successful team ever.
Contents
Early Life and Football Start
Mackay was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father worked for The Scotsman newspaper. As a young boy, Dave was a talented footballer. He even played for the Scottish Schoolboy international team.
Club Career Highlights
Playing for Heart of Midlothian
Dave Mackay grew up supporting Hearts. He signed with them as a professional player in 1952. At first, he played part-time while also working as a joiner. In November 1953, he played his first game for the senior team.
He often played alongside John Cumming. They became a strong core for the team. Mackay was a great all-around player. He was a tough tackler, very fit, and skilled with the ball. He helped Hearts win their first trophy in 48 years in 1954. They beat Motherwell 4–2 in the 1954 Scottish League Cup Final.
Hearts won seven trophies between 1954 and 1963. Mackay helped them win the 1955–56 Scottish Cup. They famously beat Rangers 4–0 in the quarter-finals. In the 1957–58 season, Hearts won the league championship. They set new records for points and goals scored. Mackay scored 12 goals that season.
He played his last game for Hearts in March 1959. Hearts sold him to Tottenham Hotspur for £32,000. This money helped Hearts improve their stadium.
Success with Tottenham Hotspur
In March 1959, 24-year-old Dave Mackay joined Tottenham Hotspur. He quickly became a key player. His strong will and skill helped the team win "the Double" in 1960–61. This meant they won both the league and the FA Cup in the same season.
Spurs won the 1961 FA Charity Shield and the 1961 FA Cup Final. They kept the FA Cup by winning the 1962 FA Cup Final. They also won the 1962 FA Charity Shield. In 1963, Spurs won the European Cup Winners' Cup. Mackay scored in the semi-final, but he missed the final due to injury.
In December 1963, Mackay broke his left leg during a game. Nine months later, he broke the same bone again while playing for the reserves. He missed a year and a half of football. He returned at the start of the 1965–66 season.
In 1966, a famous photo was taken of Mackay grabbing Leeds United's Billy Bremner's shirt. Mackay didn't like the photo because it made him look like a bully. He said he reacted that way because Bremner was targeting his injured leg.
Tottenham won the 1967 FA Cup Final with Mackay. They also shared the 1967 FA Charity Shield after a draw. Mackay played 268 league games for Tottenham. He helped them win many trophies. Many people, including Brian Clough, believe he was Tottenham's best player ever.
Time at Derby County
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In 1968, at age 33, Mackay moved to Derby County for £5,000. Managers Brian Clough and Peter Taylor convinced him to join. In his first season, Derby won promotion to the top league. That year, he was named FWA Footballer of the Year, sharing the award with Tony Book.
At Derby, Clough had Mackay play in a "sweeper" role. This meant he played behind the main defenders. He helped the team turn defense into attack with good passing. He left Derby in 1971. The team won the First Division title the next year.
Player-Manager at Swindon Town
In 1971, at 36, Mackay joined Swindon Town as a player/manager. He played for one season before stopping his playing career. After that, he focused only on managing teams.
International Career
Dave Mackay first played for Scotland on 26 May 1957. This was a qualifying game for the 1958 FIFA World Cup against Spain. Scotland qualified for the World Cup in Sweden. Mackay played one game in the tournament against France.
He captained Scotland for the first time in October 1958. He played 22 games for his country in total. His last game for Scotland was in October 1965. This was the only game he played for Scotland after his serious leg injury.
Managerial Career
After leaving Swindon Town, Mackay managed Nottingham Forest. In October 1973, he returned to Derby County as manager. In his second season, he led Derby to win the league title in 1975. This was a huge achievement.
He also managed Derby in the 1975–76 European Cup. They beat Real Madrid 4–1 in the first game. However, a weaker Derby team lost 5–1 in the second game. Mackay was let go from Derby in November 1976.
Mackay then managed Walsall. After that, he spent nine years coaching in Kuwait. He returned to the UK to manage Doncaster Rovers in 1987. Then he moved to Birmingham City.
Later, Mackay went to Africa to manage Egyptian club Zamalek SC. He won the Egyptian Premier League twice with them. He then spent three more years managing the Qatar national football team. He retired from football in 1997.
Legacy and Recognition
In 2004, Dave Mackay's autobiography, The Real Mackay, was published. He had written another book earlier called Soccer My Spur.
Mackay was one of the first players to be put into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002. Two years later, he was also one of the first to join the Scottish Football Hall of Fame. In 2006, he was added to the Heart of Midlothian Hall of Fame. In 2013, Royal Mail put Mackay on a set of stamps. This was to celebrate 150 years of The Football Association.
Dave Mackay is a character in the book The Damned Utd. This book is about Brian Clough's time at Derby County. In the film based on the book, The Damned United, Mackay is played by Brian McCardie. Mackay took legal action against the film's creators. He felt the film did not show the events accurately.
George Best, a famous player from Manchester United, said Mackay was "the hardest man I have ever played against – and certainly the bravest".
Dave Mackay passed away on 2 March 2015, at age 80. His former clubs and teammates shared many tributes. They remembered him as a legend and an inspiring player.
Honours
Player
- Heart of Midlothian
- Scottish League Division One: 1957–58
- Scottish Cup: 1955–56
- Scottish League Cup: 1954–55, 1958–59
- Tottenham Hotspur
- Football League First Division: 1960–61
- FA Cup: 1960–61, 1961–62, 1966–67
- European Cup Winner's Cup: 1962–63
- FA Charity Shield: 1961 (won), 1962 (won), 1967 (shared)
- Derby County
- Football League Second Division: 1968–69
- Watney Cup: 1970
Manager
- Derby County
- Football League First Division: 1974–75
- FA Charity Shield: 1975
- Zamalek SC
- Egyptian Premier League: 1991–92, 1992–93
- Al-Arabi SC
- VIVA Premier League : 5
- Kuwait Emir Cup : 2
Images for kids
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Mackay in 2006
See also
In Spanish: Dave Mackay (futbolista nacido en 1934) para niños
- List of English football championship winning managers
