Tom White (footballer, born 1939)

Thomas White (12 August 1939 – 17 December 2019) was a Scottish professional footballer. He played as a forward.

Tom White
Personal information
Full name Thomas White
Date of birth (1939-08-12)12 August 1939
Place of birth Musselburgh, Scotland
Date of death 17 December 2019(2019-12-17) (aged 80)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
–1959 Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1959–1962 Raith Rovers 30 (11)
1962–1963 St Mirren 35 (20)
1963–1965 Hearts 37 (30)
1965–1966 Aberdeen 14 (4)
1966–1968 Crystal Palace 39 (13)
1968–1969 Blackpool 34 (9)
1969–1971 Bury 48 (13)
1971–1972 Crewe Alexandra 4 (0)
Total 241 (100)
National team
1964[1] SFL trial v SFA 1 (0)
Teams managed
1990 Blackpool (caretaker-manager)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Football career

A prolific scorer during his early career with Raith Rovers, White's time at Rovers was shortened by two years of National Service, during which time he played for the British Army. He also played for St Mirren, then managed by Jackie Cox. White joined Hearts for £8,000 in November 1963 and was soon dubbed "Goal-a-game White" by the local media.[2] His attacking partnership with Willie Wallace was particularly effective and earned the sobriquet the "W-formation", White's abrasive, bustling style complementing Wallace.[3] In tandem, they scored 48 goals during the 1963–64 season; however, White's progress was interrupted when he suffered severe injuries in a car crash in Wallyford.[2]

White remained a regular in the Hearts side up until January 1965; however, with Donald Ford blossoming into first-team contention, manager Tommy Walker saw fit to allow White to go, and in June 1965 he moved to Aberdeen in an exchange deal for Don Kerrigan.[2]

White moved to Crystal Palace, then playing in the Second Division, in May 1966, in a combined deal along with teammate John McCormick. He scored 14 times for Palace in 40 appearances, in all competitions, before moving to Blackpool in February 1968.[4]

He finished his playing career with a short spell at Crewe Alexandra in 1971–72. He later became a director of Blackpool for 12 years only to be ousted by the then new chairman of the club, Owen Oyston.[2]

Personal life

White was the younger brother of John White and Eddie White, both professional footballers.[5]

In July 1964 his 27-year-old brother John was killed at Crews Hill Golf Course, Enfield, by a lightning-strike. That year in November, White played in a testimonial match for his sibling for Tottenham Hotspur against a Scottish national side; 25,000 spectators paid their respects, as, despite White's goal, Scotland won 6–2.[3][1]

Death

White died on 17 December 2019, aged 80.[6]

References
Footnotes
  1. Ronnie McDevitt (2016). Scotland in the 60s: The Definitive Account of the Scottish National Football Side During the 1960s. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 9781785312458.
  2. Hogan, p193
  3. Price pp42-43
  4. Purkiss, Mike; Sands, Nigel (1989). Crystal Palace: A complete record 1905–1989. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 344. ISBN 0907969542.
  5. Julie Welch; Rob White (2011). The Ghost of White Hart Lane: In Search of My Father the Football Legend. Random House. ISBN 978-1-4070-9229-4.
  6. "Tommy White, former Hearts forward, dies at age of 80" - The Scotsman, 17 December 2019
Sources
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