Jim Baxter
Statistics
Biography
James Curran Baxter was born in Hill of Beath on 29 September 1939. He died on 14 April 2001.
One of the greatest talents Scottish football has ever seen, Jim Baxter's years at the top were curtailed by his lifestyle which saw him fade from view by his thirtieth birthday. But before then 'Slim Jim' was instrumental not only for Rangers - where he won three League medals, three Scottish Cups and four League Cups - but also for Scotland.
From 1961 to 1967, he was a leading member of a strong Scottish international team that lost only once to England, in 1965, shortly after he recovered from the leg fracture. One of his best international performances was in a 2-1 win against England in 1963, when he scored both goals after Scotland were reduced to 10 players - left back Eric Caldow had his leg broken in a tackle with Bobby Smith. In the 1967 match against England, who had won the 1966 World Cup, he taunted the Auld Enemy by ball juggling while waiting for his team-mates to find good positions. Although he was given most of the credit for the 3-2 win, some commentators wished he had made an effort to run up a bigger score.