Billy Dunlop (Sunderland footballer)
Scottish footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Dunlop (16 August 1869 – 25 May 1960) was a Scottish footballer who played in the English Football League for Sunderland and in the Scottish League for Rangers. He played as a half-back, either at wing half or in the centre.[2][3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Dunlop | ||
| Date of birth | 16 August 1869 | ||
| Place of birth | Annbank, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 25 May 1960 (aged 90)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Tarbolton, Scotland | ||
| Positions | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1888–1893 | Annbank | ||
| 1893–1899 | Sunderland | 134 | (6) |
| 1899–1900 | Rangers | 6 | (0) |
| 1900 | Partick Thistle | 1 | (0) |
| 1900–1901 | Annbank | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
Dunlop was born in Annbank, South Ayrshire, and played for his hometown club (taking part in a trial for the Scotland national team in 1890)[4] before coming to England to sign for Sunderland at the start of 1893. He was the uncle (though only two years older) of his new club's star forward Jimmy Miller,[5][6] while another former Annbank player, defender Robert Smellie, was also in the Sunderland side (he and Dunlop were teammates in the team's run to the quarter-finals of the 1891–92 Scottish Cup).[7][8]
Dunlop made his debut for the Wearside club on 28 January 1893 in a 4–2 home win against The Wednesday, and played a few more games at the end of the 1892–93 season once the League title was secured. From the following season onwards he was a regular in the first team, contributing to their runners-up position in 1894 and third League championship in the 1894–95 season and making 146 appearances in League and FA Cup.[9] He also played on the winning side in a post-season friendly match against Scottish champions Heart of Midlothian, dubbed by some the "1895 World Championship".[10]
Dunlop returned to Scotland in 1899 to join Rangers, and played six Division One games in the 1899–1900 season – in each case covering for one of the regular half-backs, Neilly Gibson, Bobby Neil and Jacky Robertson – plus a few more games in other competitions, in a couple of which Jimmy Miller also played.[3] He moved on to Partick Thistle in the summer of 1900[11] before returning to Annbank a few months later.[2][12][13]