Sandy Jardine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sandy Jardine

Personal information
Full name	William Pullar Jardine
Date of birth	(1948-12-31)31 December 1948
Place of birth	Edinburgh, Scotland
Date of death	24 April 2014(2014-04-24) (aged 65)
Place of death	Edinburgh, Scotland
Playing position	Right-back
Youth career
	North Merchiston BC
	United Crossroads BC
	Edinburgh Athletic
1964–1966	Rangers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1966–1982	Rangers	451	(42)
1982–1988	Heart of Midlothian	187	(3)
Total		638	(45)
National team
1970–1979	Scotland	38	(1)
1971–1972	Scotland U23	4	(1)
1972–1973	Scottish League XI	2	(0)
Teams managed
1986–1988	Heart of Midlothian
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

William "Sandy" Pullar Jardine (born December 31, 1948 – died April 24, 2014) was a famous Scottish football player. He played for two big clubs, Rangers and Hearts. Sandy also proudly played for the Scotland national team.

He played over 1000 professional games in his career. Sandy was so good that he won the Scottish Football Writers Association Player of the Year award twice. With Rangers, he won many trophies, including the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1972. He also helped Rangers win two "domestic trebles," which means winning three major trophies in one season. Sandy played 38 times for Scotland and took part in the World Cup in 1974 and 1978. After playing, he became a co-manager for Hearts and later worked for Rangers.

Sandy Jardine passed away in April 2014. He had been diagnosed with liver cancer 18 months before.

Early Life and Football Start

Sandy Jardine grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland. His home was very close to Tynecastle Park. This is the stadium for Hearts, the team he loved as a child.

Even when he was young, Sandy was great at football. He won awards playing for his school teams. As a youth, he played for local clubs like North Merchiston Boys Club. He also trained at the Hearts stadium.

His full name was William Pullar Jardine. But everyone called him 'Sandy' because of his hair color.

Playing Career Highlights

Sandy Jardine had an amazing career playing football for many years.

Club Career Journey

Sandy played for two main clubs, Rangers and Hearts.

Time with Rangers

Sandy joined Rangers in 1964 when he was a teenager. He first played as a midfielder. After a couple of years in the reserve team, he made his first team debut at age 18. This was in February 1967 against Hearts.

He scored his first goal for Rangers a few weeks later. In the same season, he played in a big European final. This was the 1967 European Cup Winners' Cup Final against Bayern Munich. Rangers lost that game after extra time.

Sandy played in different defense positions for Rangers. He even played as a forward sometimes. But he became best known as a right-back. This happened at the start of the 1970–71 season. He was very good at this position. He was strong and fast, often running forward to help the attack. He rarely got caught out of position. He played most of his 674 games for Rangers as a right-back.

His first major trophy came in 1970. Rangers beat Celtic in the Scottish League Cup Final. The next season, he played every game as Rangers reached the 1972 European Cup Winners' Cup Final. He even scored a goal in the semi-final against Bayern Munich. Sandy helped Rangers win the final 3-2 against Moscow Dynamo in Barcelona.

From 1972 to 1975, Sandy played in 171 games in a row for Rangers. During this time, he helped Rangers win their first Scottish league title in 11 years. His great playing earned him the Player of the Year award in 1975. Sandy was a key player when Rangers won the "domestic treble" in 1975–76 and 1977–78.

By the early 1980s, Rangers were not doing as well. Sandy, who was 33, was allowed to leave for Hearts. This was a tough decision for his friend and manager, John Greig. Sandy wanted to finish his career at the club he supported as a boy.

Playing for Hearts

In 1982, Sandy joined Hearts, his childhood favorite club. Hearts were not doing well at the time. Sandy joined his former Rangers teammate, Alex MacDonald. Alex was the player-manager at Hearts. Sandy also became the assistant manager.

His teammate, John Robertson, said Sandy helped the club become more professional. Hearts won promotion in 1982–83. They then became a strong team in the top league. They finished fifth in their first season back and qualified for the UEFA Cup.

Sandy was still playing regularly. He was a big part of the team that almost won the Scottish league championship in 1985–86. They finished second, just behind Celtic. John Robertson said Sandy was great at reading the game. He was also good at passing the ball out of defense.

During that season, Sandy played his 1000th professional game. He was 37 years old. His performance that season earned him the Scottish Football Writers Association Player of the Year award again. He was the first player to win this award with two different clubs.

In November 1986, Sandy became joint manager with Alex MacDonald. He played less often to focus on managing the team.

International Career for Scotland

Sandy Jardine first played for the Scotland national team in November 1970. This was in a European Championship qualifying game against Denmark.

By 1974, Sandy was a regular right-back for Scotland. He played in all three games of the 1974 British Home Championship. He scored his only international goal in a 2-0 win against Wales during this tournament.

He also helped Scotland qualify for the 1974 World Cup finals in West Germany. Sandy played in all three group matches at the World Cup. He and Danny McGrain were thought to be the best fullbacks in the competition.

Sandy continued to play for Scotland throughout the 1970s. He played in another major tournament, the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina. His last game for Scotland was in December 1979.

In total, Sandy played 38 times for Scotland. He was also the team captain nine times.

Managerial Role

Sandy Jardine joined Hearts in July 1982 as a player. He also became the assistant manager to his former teammate, Alex MacDonald. The club moved up to the Scottish Premier Division in 1983. Three years later, they almost won the league title.

In November 1986, Sandy was made joint-manager with Alex MacDonald. Hearts finished fifth in the league the next season. In 1987-88, they finished second. However, a poor start to the 1988–89 season led to Sandy being removed from his role in November 1988. The club owner felt that having two managers was not working.

Life After Football

After his football career, Sandy Jardine worked for Rangers. He worked in public relations and then in sales and marketing.

When Rangers faced financial difficulties in 2012, Sandy helped lead a "fighting fund" for the club. He was upset by some decisions made against Rangers. He even led a march of Rangers fans to protest these decisions. Sandy also said that fans would consider taking action against other clubs or groups they felt were unfair to Rangers.

Personal Life

In November 2012, Rangers announced that Sandy Jardine was being treated for cancer. Sandy passed away on April 24, 2014, at the age of 65.

Legacy and Remembrance

On July 16, 2014, Rangers announced a special tribute to Sandy Jardine. They changed the name of the Govan Stand at their stadium to the Sandy Jardine Stand. This was to honor his lasting impact on the club.

Honours and Awards

Sandy Jardine won many awards and trophies during his football career.

Rangers

• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1971–72
• Scottish league champions: 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78
• Scottish Cup: 1972–73, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1980–81
• Scottish League Cup: 1970–71, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1981–82

Individual Awards

• SFWA Footballer of the Year: 1974–75, 1985–86
• Scottish Football Hall of Fame inductee (2006)
• Rangers F.C. Hall of Fame inductee

See also

In Spanish: Sandy Jardine para niños

• List of footballers in Scotland by number of league appearances (500+)
• List of Scotland national football team captains