If ever asked who holds the record for the most Scottish League championship medals, many would hazard a guess at one of the stalwarts of either the Rangers or Celtic 9 in a row teams of the past 50 years. But the correct answer (if unofficial wartime titles are excluded) goes much further back, to a fiery, pacy, goalscoring right winger who wore the Rangers shirt with great pride and distinction from 1917 to 1934. His name was Sandy Archibald.
A native of Crossgates in Fife, Sandy Archibald was born in November 1896, and he joined local club Raith Rovers in 1915. Two years later in May 1917, manager William Wilton brought the miner and part-time player to Rangers, and he made his debut in a Charity Cup Final defeat against Celtic at Ibrox a few days later on May 12th. Typically, Sandy Archibald soon avenged that initial defeat, when he scored his first Rangers goal 10 days later in a 3-0 triumph over the same opposition, this time in the Glasgow Cup. Over his career, Sandy Archibald enjoyed many great victories over Celtic, his goals, creativity and sheer determination to win for his beloved Rangers earning him a fearsome reputation in the Parkhead dressing room.
In fact, one of the most famous quotes about the player was spoken by long serving Celtic manager Willie Maley, who said of Archibald "so long as he is on the pitch, we can never be sure of victory over Rangers, no matter the score".
Season 1917/18 was his first full season with the club, and it was surely no coincidence that it coincided with Rangers regaining their league title after 4 successive seasons where Celtic were winners. Archibald played in all 34 games in that league season, scoring 8 goals. The title was won by the narrowest of margins over our great rivals, a single point, with Archibald scoring the opening goal on the final day, a 2-1 win against Clyde.
Incredibly, Sandy Archibald would only see 4 seasons during his long Ibrox career where Rangers didn't win the title. 1919, 1922, 1926 and 1932 were the occasions when the flag temporarily moved elsewhere. 1926 was a season where he missed around half the matches played due to injury, an important factor in the club's lowly league position that year.
As the Wilton era tragically ended and the Struth era began, one thing that did not change was the importance of Sandy Archibald to the team, his partnership on the right side of the team with inside right Andy Cunningham was almost telepathic, both players seemingly able to predict where the other would be, with countless goals and assists between the pair. Archibald scored in no fewer than 5 Rangers v Celtic New Year games, and also scored in the Scottish Cup semi final wins of 1921 and 1922 as Rangers looked to end their long series of failures in the nation's top cup competition. However, on both occasions the club tasted unexpected and devastating defeat in the final, first to Partick Thistle and then to Morton (to this day, the only wins for either club in the Scottish Cup).
As league title medals continued to be collected, all at Rangers yearned a Scottish Cup victory. Some fabulous players of the time never tasted that success, but for Sandy Archibald, the crowning glory of the Rangers career was to happen on April 14th 1928. After 25 years, Rangers roared to Scottish Cup Final glory, in a legendary occasion, hammering their rivals 4-0 with all the goals in a stunning second half. It was fitting that the man who fired home the final nails in Celtic's coffin that day was Sandy Archibald, with 2 stunning long range strikes for goals 3 and 4.
With the hoodoo ended, Sandy Archibald went on to lift the Scottish Cup another twice in 1930 and 1932. He also represented his country 8 times, and that tally would have been many more if it wasn't for the competition for the right wing position from the great Huddersfield Town winger Alex Jackson. he scored 1 goal for Scotland, against Wales in Wrexham in 1922, with his final Scotland appearance at Wembley in 1932, a full 11 years after his international debut.
Sandy Archibald scored his 159th and final goal for Rangers on August 26th 1933 in an Ibrox league win against Cowdenbeath and he wore his beloved Rangers jersey for the last time at Hampden on April 30th 1934, when on the final day of the season Rangers played out a 1-1 draw with Queens Park. He had only played 15 league games that season, as his long term understudy, the younger Bobby Main, was preferred for the majority of the campaign. Manager Struth, aware this would be Archibald's final game, made sure he played enough games to qualify for his 13th championship medal.
Sandy Archibald left Ibrox later that year, returning to his native Fife as manager / secretary of Raith Rovers, a position he held for 5 years before taking up a similar role at local rivals Dunfermline. He holds another record, his Raith Rovers team of 1937/38 being the all-time leading league goalscorers in a British season, scoring a scarcely believable 142 league goals as they roared to promotion. Appointed to the Dunfermline job in 1939, he managed to keep the club afloat during the War while also working full-time on the war effort at Rosyth dockyard.
Tragically, after so much hard work, he was not able to see how his team would fare in post war football, as Sandy Archibald died suddenly at home on November 29th 1946, a matter of days after his 50th birthday.
Sandy Archibald, Rangers FC 1917 - 1934
Appearances (all competitions) 625
Goals (all competitions) 159
13 League titles
3 Scottish Cups
9 Glasgow Cups
10 Charity Cups
8 Scotland caps
Rangers Hall of Fame member
And a record holder.
A native of Crossgates in Fife, Sandy Archibald was born in November 1896, and he joined local club Raith Rovers in 1915. Two years later in May 1917, manager William Wilton brought the miner and part-time player to Rangers, and he made his debut in a Charity Cup Final defeat against Celtic at Ibrox a few days later on May 12th. Typically, Sandy Archibald soon avenged that initial defeat, when he scored his first Rangers goal 10 days later in a 3-0 triumph over the same opposition, this time in the Glasgow Cup. Over his career, Sandy Archibald enjoyed many great victories over Celtic, his goals, creativity and sheer determination to win for his beloved Rangers earning him a fearsome reputation in the Parkhead dressing room.
In fact, one of the most famous quotes about the player was spoken by long serving Celtic manager Willie Maley, who said of Archibald "so long as he is on the pitch, we can never be sure of victory over Rangers, no matter the score".
Season 1917/18 was his first full season with the club, and it was surely no coincidence that it coincided with Rangers regaining their league title after 4 successive seasons where Celtic were winners. Archibald played in all 34 games in that league season, scoring 8 goals. The title was won by the narrowest of margins over our great rivals, a single point, with Archibald scoring the opening goal on the final day, a 2-1 win against Clyde.
Incredibly, Sandy Archibald would only see 4 seasons during his long Ibrox career where Rangers didn't win the title. 1919, 1922, 1926 and 1932 were the occasions when the flag temporarily moved elsewhere. 1926 was a season where he missed around half the matches played due to injury, an important factor in the club's lowly league position that year.
As the Wilton era tragically ended and the Struth era began, one thing that did not change was the importance of Sandy Archibald to the team, his partnership on the right side of the team with inside right Andy Cunningham was almost telepathic, both players seemingly able to predict where the other would be, with countless goals and assists between the pair. Archibald scored in no fewer than 5 Rangers v Celtic New Year games, and also scored in the Scottish Cup semi final wins of 1921 and 1922 as Rangers looked to end their long series of failures in the nation's top cup competition. However, on both occasions the club tasted unexpected and devastating defeat in the final, first to Partick Thistle and then to Morton (to this day, the only wins for either club in the Scottish Cup).
As league title medals continued to be collected, all at Rangers yearned a Scottish Cup victory. Some fabulous players of the time never tasted that success, but for Sandy Archibald, the crowning glory of the Rangers career was to happen on April 14th 1928. After 25 years, Rangers roared to Scottish Cup Final glory, in a legendary occasion, hammering their rivals 4-0 with all the goals in a stunning second half. It was fitting that the man who fired home the final nails in Celtic's coffin that day was Sandy Archibald, with 2 stunning long range strikes for goals 3 and 4.
With the hoodoo ended, Sandy Archibald went on to lift the Scottish Cup another twice in 1930 and 1932. He also represented his country 8 times, and that tally would have been many more if it wasn't for the competition for the right wing position from the great Huddersfield Town winger Alex Jackson. he scored 1 goal for Scotland, against Wales in Wrexham in 1922, with his final Scotland appearance at Wembley in 1932, a full 11 years after his international debut.
Sandy Archibald scored his 159th and final goal for Rangers on August 26th 1933 in an Ibrox league win against Cowdenbeath and he wore his beloved Rangers jersey for the last time at Hampden on April 30th 1934, when on the final day of the season Rangers played out a 1-1 draw with Queens Park. He had only played 15 league games that season, as his long term understudy, the younger Bobby Main, was preferred for the majority of the campaign. Manager Struth, aware this would be Archibald's final game, made sure he played enough games to qualify for his 13th championship medal.
Sandy Archibald left Ibrox later that year, returning to his native Fife as manager / secretary of Raith Rovers, a position he held for 5 years before taking up a similar role at local rivals Dunfermline. He holds another record, his Raith Rovers team of 1937/38 being the all-time leading league goalscorers in a British season, scoring a scarcely believable 142 league goals as they roared to promotion. Appointed to the Dunfermline job in 1939, he managed to keep the club afloat during the War while also working full-time on the war effort at Rosyth dockyard.
Tragically, after so much hard work, he was not able to see how his team would fare in post war football, as Sandy Archibald died suddenly at home on November 29th 1946, a matter of days after his 50th birthday.
Sandy Archibald, Rangers FC 1917 - 1934
Appearances (all competitions) 625
Goals (all competitions) 159
13 League titles
3 Scottish Cups
9 Glasgow Cups
10 Charity Cups
8 Scotland caps
Rangers Hall of Fame member
And a record holder.
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