Stevie Chalmers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stevie Chalmers
Personal information
Full name Thomas Stephen Chalmers
Date of birth (1935-12-26)26 December 1935
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death 29 April 2019(2019-04-29) (aged 83)
Position(s) Centre forward / Outside right
Youth career
1953–1955 Kirkintilloch Rob Roy
1955–1956 Newmarket Town
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1956–1959 Ashfield
1959 Dumbarton (trialist) 1 (0)
1959–1971 Celtic 263 (155)
1971–1972 Morton 32 (8)
1972–1975 Partick Thistle 44 (6)
Total 340 (169)
International career
1962–1967 Scottish League XI 4 (0)
1964–1966 Scotland 5 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Thomas Stephen Chalmers (26 December 1935 – 29 April 2019) was a Scottish footballer who played as a centre-forward and spent the majority of his career with Celtic. He is the club's fifth-highest goalscorer with 236 goals and is considered one of their greatest players. He is particularly known for scoring the winning goal in the 1967 European Cup Final against Inter Milan. Chalmers later played for Morton and Partick Thistle. He also represented Scotland five times in international matches.

Early life[edit]

Chalmers was born on 26 December 1935 in the Garngad district of Glasgow,[1][2] where he attended St Roch's Secondary School.[3] The family later moved to nearby Balornock.[4] His father, David, played for Clydebank.[2]

Career[edit]

Leaving school aged 14, he signed for Kirkintilloch Rob Roy in 1953.[5] Subsequently, he joined the RAF and during his time doing national service at RAF Stradishall in 1955 played for Newmarket Town.[5] He then moved back to Scotland, signing with SJFA team Ashfield, and represented Scotland at that level in 1959.[4][6] Shortly afterwards he signed for Celtic, making his league debut in March 1959 against Airdrie.[2]

He spent 12 full seasons with Celtic, helping the club to six league titles, three Scottish Cups, and four League Cups, as well as being part of the Lisbon Lions side that won the 1967 European Cup. He scored the winning goal in the 85th minute of the final, and in doing so also sealed the first European Treble and the only Quadruple to date. [7][8][9]

His involvement became limited after he broke a leg in the 1969 Scottish League Cup Final,[1] and he missed the rest of that season including the 1970 European Cup Final. His total of 236 goals is the fifth-highest in the history of the club,[10] and he is remembered as one of the greatest players in Celtic's history.[1][11]

After leaving Celtic Park in September 1971 at the age of 35, Chalmers continued to appear in Scotland's top tier, with spells at Morton[12] and Partick Thistle before he retired in 1975. He made a very brief comeback with junior club St Roch's during the 1975–76 season.[2]

He was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2016.[13]

International[edit]

Chalmers won five full caps for Scotland between 1964 and 1966, scoring three goals.[14] He was also selected four times for the Scottish Football League XI.[15]

Personal life[edit]

Chalmers's father David played for Clydebank in the 1920s,[16][1] and his son, Paul, also played professionally with several clubs after starting his career with Celtic in the 1980s.[17] Chalmers and his wife, Sadie, had six children.[2][11]

In 1955, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis meningitis and was given only weeks to live before being successfully treated.[18]

It was reported in May 2017 that 81-year-old Chalmers was suffering from dementia and was unable to attend the Lisbon Lions' 50th anniversary events.[11] Chalmers died on 29 April 2019, aged 83.[19][20]

Career statistics[edit]

Club[edit]

[21][22][12]

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Club Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Dumbarton 1 0 0 0 1+ 0+
Celtic 263 155 47 29 60 31 38 13 408 228
Greenock Morton 32 8 0 0 4 3 0 0 36 11
Partick Thistle 44 6 44+ 6+
Career total 340 169 47+ 29+ 64+ 34+ 38+ 13+ 489+ 245+

International appearances[edit]

Scotland national team[14]
Year Apps Goals
1964 2 2
1965 —
1966 3 1
Total 5 3

International goals[edit]

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.[14]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 3 October 1964 Ninian Park, Cardiff  Wales 1–1 2–3 1964–65 British Home Championship
2. 21 October 1964 Hampden Park, Glasgow  Finland 2–0 3–1 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification
3. 25 June 1966 Hampden Park, Glasgow  Brazil 1–0 1–1 Friendly match

Honours[edit]

Celtic[22]

Scotland[23]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Did not play enough games in 1969–70 or 1970–71
  2. ^ Did not play in 1971 final
  3. ^ Did not play in 1965 final

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Cuddihy, Paul (26 December 2016). "Happy 81st Birthday to Stevie Chalmers". celticfc.net. Celtic FC. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Obituary: Stevie Chalmers, Celtic striker who scored the 1967 European cup winner". Glasgow Herald. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  3. ^ Loney, Gillian; Williams, Craig (8 May 2019). "Glasgow pays respect as Lisbon Lions legend Stevie Chalmers laid to rest". GlasgowLive.co.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b The Winning Touch: My Autobiography, Stevie Chalmers, Graham McColl; Hachette UK, 2012; ISBN 9780755363230
  5. ^ a b "Lisbon Lions legend Stevie Chalmers and the goal that won Celtic the European Cup". Glasgow Live. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  6. ^ "Scotland Junior International Results and Lineups". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  7. ^ "Celtic win European Cup 1967". BBC. 19 March 2005. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  8. ^ "Who has won a treble, including domestic league and cup titles, plus the European Cup or UEFA Champions League?". UEFA. 10 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  9. ^ Jensen, Neil Fredrik (1 June 2022). "Celtic 1967 – the only quadruple winners". Game of the People. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Celtic all-time player records". Fitbastats.com. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  11. ^ a b c "Celtic hero Stevie Chalmers battling dementia – granddaughter reveals heartbreaking news on eve of Lisbon Lions 50th anniversary". Daily Record. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  12. ^ a b
  13. ^ "Stevie Chalmers profile". Scottish Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  14. ^ a b c Stevie Chalmers at the Scottish Football Association
  15. ^ "Scottish League player Stephen Chalmers". www.londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  16. ^ "The players (1914–1932)". Clydebank FC Programmes. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  17. ^ "Paul Chalmers profile". Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Players Database. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  18. ^ "Goal hero Stevie Chalmers' life long debt to a Rangers fan". BBC. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  19. ^ "Family's great sadness as Celtic legend Stevie Chalmers passes away". Celtic FC. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  20. ^ "Stevie Chalmers: Celtic great who scored 1967 winner dies at 83". BBC Sport. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  21. ^ Stevie Chalmers at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
  22. ^ a b "Celtic player Stevie Chalmers". Fitbastats.com. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  23. ^ "Stevie Chalmers". Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 25 May 2022.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stevie_Chalmers&oldid=1211340672"