McDougall: John (Jock)

1934-1937 (Player Details)

Centre Half

Born: Port Glasgow: 21-09-1901

Debut: v Leicester City (a): 24-11-1934

5’11” 12st 4lb (1925)

McDougall worked as a Marine Engineer on Clydeside and played for Kilmacolm Amateurs, then Port Glasgow Athletic Juniors before signing for Airdrieonians in November 1921. With the signing of Hughie Gallacher from Queen of the South on 9th May 1921, Airdrieonians soon became a front runner for the Scottish title, with Gallacher scoring the goals and McDougall pivotal in defence, they were runners-up in to Rangers in 1922–23, 1923–24, 1924–25, and Celtic in 1925–26. On 19th April 1924 they beat Hibernian 2-0 at Ibrox Park to win the Scottish Cup to give McDougall a winners' medal. He won a full cap for Scotland against Northern Ireland on 27th February 1926, when Scotland won 4-0 at Ibrox Park, Glasgow with Hughie Gallacher opening the scoring in the thirteenth minute, and Andrew Cunningham adding a second five minutes before half-time, before Gallacher completed his hat-trick in the forty-eighth and sixty-fifth minutes. He also represented the Scottish League on two occasions, on 11th November 1925 He and clubmate Gallacher were in the team that demolished the Irish League 7-3, at Solitude, home of Cliftonville, Belfast, with Gallacher netting five times, with all but the first and last goals. His second game was far harder as they drew 2-2 with the (English) Football League on 19th March 1927 at Filbert Street, Leicester. While with Airdrieonians he scored twenty goals in two hundred and sixty-one League games before he joined Sunderland for £4,500 in May 1929. Known as "Jackie" while in Scotland he was soon known as "Jock" south of the border. He made his debut for Sunderland on 7th September 1929 against Manchester City in a 5–2 win at Roker Park and was soon installed as Captain. He played one hundred and sixty-seven League games for Sunderland and scored four goals. He also played in twenty F.A. Cup ties, three Durham Senior Cup ties, five Friendlies and two Tour games. In November 1934, Leeds beat off competition from Plymouth Argyle to bring him to Elland Road for £6,000, as cover for the ageing Ernie Hart. Although approaching the veteran stage when he joined Leeds, the Scottish International was still able to give First Division forwards a tough time. He skippered Leeds before retiring in the summer of 1937. He worked at the Port Glasgow Golf Club as a greenkeeper and died on 26th September 1973, in Port Glasgow, five days after his seventy-second birthday. His younger brother was Jimmy McDougall, the Partick Thistle, Liverpool and Scotland player.