Inducted in 2012
ARCHIE GEMMILL
Football
Archie Gemmill jinked his way to global fame in 1978 when he slalomed through the Dutch defence to score one of the best-ever World Cup goals.
Featured in hundreds of videos, films and books, it remains one of the most iconic moments in Scottish football history and was the highlight of a 20-year career that began in Paisley in 1947 and ended with more than 700 appearances and 73 goals.
Standing just 5ft 5in tall, Archie started his career with St Mirren and then spent three years with Preston North End before moving to Derby County under Brian Clough in 1970.
Clough was so keen to get his man that he drove in person to the midfielder’s house. When his request was initially refused, Clough said he would sleep outside in his car till he got an agreement. Archie’s wife, however, wouldn’t allow it, offering Clough a bed for the night. The £60,000 transfer was agreed over breakfast the following morning.
Archie went on to become a Derby County legend, making 324 appearances and scoring 25 goals and helping them to their first two league titles. Moving on to Nottingham Forest with Clough in 1977, he was part of the midfield unit that helped the team become First Division champions in 1978 and won the League Cup in 1978 and 1979. However, he missed the European Cup Final in 1979 and signed for Birmingham City the same year.
Hailed as one of the outstanding players of his generation, Archie collected 43 international caps for Scotland, scoring eight goals and captaining the national side on 22 occasions. He retired in 1984 and went on to manage Rotherham United, taking them to Wembley for the first time in the club’s 113-year history for a victory in the Autoglass Cup.
Archie, whose son Scot won 26 caps for Scotland, managed the Scotland Under-19 team that finished second in the 2006 European Championships and qualified for the 2007 Under-20 World Cup.