William Kennedy Gibson

William Kennedy Gibson (1 October 1876 – 9 December 1949) was an Irish footballer and political activist.

Willie Gibson
Personal information
Full name William Kennedy Gibson
Date of birth 1 October 1876
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death 9 December 1949(1949-12-09) (aged 73)
Place of death Belfast, Northern Ireland
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1892–1903 Cliftonville
1902 → Sunderland (loan) 1 (0)
1902 → Bishop Auckland (loan)
1903 → Sunderland Royal Rovers (loan)
National team
1894–1902 Irish League XI 5 (0)
1894–1902 Ireland 13 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Football career

Although born in Glasgow, Gibson's family were from Belfast, and Gibson moved there at a young age.[1][2] He was noted as a talented footballer who played for Cliftonville F.C. while still at school.[3] He also spent time in the north-east of England and played with local teams on an amateur basis, including Sunderland, for whom he made one appearance in the Football League in the 1901–02 season[4] when the club finished as English champions.[2]

He played thirteen matches for the Ireland national team from 1894 to 1902, making his debut aged 17, scoring once (against England) and captaining the side on four occasions.[5] He won numerous honours with Cliftonville, including the Irish Cup in 1897 and 1901, before becoming President of the club, then becoming active in its management.[3][2]

Political career

Outside football, Gibson worked as a solicitor, and he provided legal advice to the Irish Football Association,[2] becoming its vice-chairman in 1907. In 1909, he was elected to the Belfast Corporation as an independent Unionist, with the support of the Belfast Citizens' Association. He defeated future Lord Mayor of Belfast William George Turner, who had the unofficial backing of the Conservative Party.[3]

Gibson stood again as an independent Unionist in Belfast Ballynafeigh at the 1929 Northern Ireland general election, but he was narrowly defeated by Thomas Moles, the official Unionist candidate.[6]

References
  1. Shamrock on Blue, Scots Football Worldwide
  2. W.K. Gibson, Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats, 10 December 2006
  3. Neal Garnham, Association football and society in pre-partition Ireland, pp.153-158
  4. William K. Gibson, The StatCat
  5. Player: William Gibson, European Football
  6. Neil Garnham, "Association football and politics in Belfast: the careers of William Kennedy Gibson", International Journal of the History of Sport, Vol.16, No.1, March 1999, pp.128–136
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