Gray Dougie Image 1 Glasgow Rangers 1928

Description

Born in Alford, Aberdeenshire, right back Dougie Gray joined Rangers from Aberdeen Mugiemoss in June 1925 and made his Scottish League debut against Kilmarnock that October. He played for the club 555 times in competitive matches between 1925 and 1947, earning ten Scottish League Championship and six Scottish Cup winning medals. Taking into account his appearances in war-time matches and friendlies, he made 940 appearances for the club in all, wearing the shirt more times than any other player, although John Greig is the record holder for appearances in official matches.

Gray won ten international caps for Scotland between October 1928, when he made his debut in a 4-2 win over Wales at Ibrox, and October 1932, when he played in a 5-2 defeat to Wales at Tynecastle, and he also made six appearances for The Scottish League between October 1927 and November 1930.

After the Second World War he returned to Ibrox and played his final game for Rangers in a Glasgow Cup semi final replay defeat to Clyde in September 1946, retiring in 1947. He is, to this day, the club’s longest serving player in its history. After leaving Rangers, he acted as a coach at Clyde. Possibly the finest tribute that could be paid to Dougie Gray was that legendary Ibrox manager Bill Struth often referred to him as his ‘best-ever signing’.

NB the photograph shows Gray in a Scottish League shirt, before their match with The Football League at Villa Park on 7th November 1928, a match which The Football League won 2-1.