Ian Hamilton (footballer, born 1950)

Ian Michael Hamilton (born 31 October 1950) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. He made more than 300 appearances in the Football League playing for Chelsea, Southend United, Aston Villa and Sheffield United,[1] and more than 100 in the North American Soccer League for Minnesota Kicks and San Jose Earthquakes.[2] He was nicknamed "Chico" after the jazz drummer.

For other people named Ian Hamilton, see Ian Hamilton (disambiguation).

Ian Hamilton
Personal information
Full name Ian Michael Hamilton
Date of birth (1950-10-31) 31 October 1950
Place of birth Streatham, London, England
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1966–1968 Chelsea 5 (2)
1968–1969 Southend United 36 (11)
1969–1976 Aston Villa 208 (40)
1976–1978 Sheffield United 60 (13)
1978–1981 Minnesota Kicks (NASL) 101 (22)
1979–1981 Minnesota Kicks (NASL indoor) 25 (19)
1982 San Jose Earthquakes 18 (1)
Total 453 (108)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Hamilton joined Chelsea as a junior and became the Stamford Bridge club's youngest ever player and goalscorer at 16 years, 138 days when he scored against Tottenham Hotspur on his debut,[3] on 18 March 1967, a feat which earned comparisons with another famous Chelsea striker who also scored on his debut against Spurs – Jimmy Greaves.[4] Thereafter he played only four more first-team games for Chelsea, spending the 1968–69 season with Southend United before moving to Aston Villa in 1968.[1]

At Villa he carved out a long career as a midfielder, helping the club win the Third Division title in 1972, and playing in two League Cup finals – they lost in 1971 and won in 1975.[5] After two seasons with Sheffield United, Hamilton became one of many British footballers who ended their careers in the North American Soccer League, where he played for Minnesota Kicks and San Jose Earthquakes.[2]

After he finished his professional career, he spent 17 years as boys' soccer coach at Thomas Worthington High School, in Worthington, Ohio,[6][7] returning after a seven-year gap to coach girls' soccer.[8]

References
  1. "Chico Hamilton". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  2. "Ian "Chico" Hamilton". NASL Jerseys. Dave Morrison. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  3. Hamilton, Andy (30 July 2019). Stupidity (Radio). Andy Hamilton Sort of Remembers. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  4. "Master And Pupil Find Scoring Touch". The Times. 20 March 1967. p. 9.
  5. Fort, Didier (25 February 2001). "England – League Cup Finals 1961–2001". RSSSF. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  6. Peticca, Mike (10 November 1991). "Worthington Halts Walsh's Bid To Repeat As State Champ" (reprint). Cleveland Plain Dealer. NewsBank. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  7. Moran, Packy (7 November 1999). "Warriors End Worthington's 43-Game Streak – Boys Soccer" (reprint). The Columbus Dispatch. NewsBank. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  8. Batterson, Paul (24 August 2006). "Thomas girls have veteran midfield". ThisWeek Community Newspapers. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.