37 Facts About Dave Mackay

David Craig Mackay was a Scottish football player and manager.

Dave Mackay was best known for a highly successful playing career with Heart of Midlothian, the Double-winning Tottenham Hotspur side of 1961, and winning the league with Derby County as a manager.

Dave Mackay represented Scotland 22 times, and was selected for their 1958 FIFA World Cup squad.

Dave Mackay tied with Tony Book of Manchester City for the Football Writers' Association's Footballer of the Year award in 1969 and was later listed by the Football League in their "100 Legends", as well as being an inaugural inductee to both the English and Scottish Football Halls of Fame.

Dave Mackay was described, by Tottenham Hotspur, as one of their greatest players and was known as 'the heartbeat' of their most successful ever team.

Dave Mackay's father was a printer who worked for The Scotsman newspaper.

Dave Mackay signed as a professional in 1952, initially on a part-time basis as he worked as joiner.

Dave Mackay was given his first team debut in November 1953.

Dave Mackay would be paired with John Cumming at wing half, which was to become the core of the team.

Dave Mackay was a talented all-round player; a strong tackler, physically fit and had good technique with the ball.

Dave Mackay was fourth in Hearts' league scoring charts, with 12.

Dave Mackay played in only the third of Scotland's three games at the World Cup.

Dave Mackay had some injury issues in what was to be his last year at Hearts.

In Hearts' next game Dave Mackay's vacated half back berth was taken by George Thomson, who moved from inside forward.

Dave Mackay had scored in the semi-final victory against OFK Beograd.

On 10 December 1963 Dave Mackay broke his left leg in a challenge with United's Noel Cantwell after eight minutes of the return tie at Old Trafford.

In 1966 Dave Mackay was photographed by Daily Mirror photographer Monte Fresco in an on-pitch confrontation with Leeds United's Billy Bremner.

The image is seen as one of the most iconic in UK football although Dave Mackay hated it as it portrayed him as a bully.

Dave Mackay stated he reacted in the manner he did since Bremner targeted Dave Mackay's left leg even though this leg was furthest away from Bremner.

Brian Clough claimed in 2003 that Dave Mackay was Tottenham Hotspur's greatest ever player.

Dave Mackay left Derby in 1971, a year before they won the First Division title.

Aged 22, Dave Mackay made his debut for Scotland on 26 May 1957 in a qualifying game for the 1958 World Cup, against Spain at the Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.

Dave Mackay then spent two years out of the side, with Jim Baxter and Pat Crerand usually being the preferred half back pairing.

Dave Mackay had been incumbent in the half back line for three straight games leading up to the game for Spurs in December 1963 in which he broke his leg.

In 1971 Dave Mackay was appointed player-manager of Swindon Town but left after just one season to take charge of Nottingham Forest.

Dave Mackay remained at the City Ground until October 1973, when he returned to Derby as manager following Clough's resignation.

Dave Mackay then had a spell as Walsall manager from March 1977 to August 1978.

Dave Mackay returned to the UK and was appointed manager of Doncaster Rovers in 1987, a year after being linked with the Scotland manager's job.

Dave Mackay then spent a further three years in Qatar, managing the Qatar national football team, before retiring from football altogether in 1997.

In 2004 The Real Dave Mackay was published, an autobiography written with Martin Knight.

Dave Mackay had previously published Soccer My Spur in the early 1960s.

Dave Mackay was made an inaugural inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 in recognition of his impact on the English game as both a player and manager, Two years later, he was an inaugural inductee of the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.

In 2013, Dave Mackay was one of eleven British football stars chosen by Royal Mail to feature on a set of stamps marking the 150th anniversary of The Football Association.

Dave Mackay appears as a character in David Peace's novel The Damned Utd, a fictionalised account of Brian Clough's time as manager of Derby County and Leeds United.

Dave Mackay successfully took legal action against the makers of the film over its inaccurate portrayal of the events surrounding Clough's departure from Derby and Dave Mackay's appointment.

Heart of Midlothian stated "It is with deep regret that we have to advise of the death of Dave Mackay who was possibly the most complete midfield player that Scotland has ever produced".

Dave Mackay's coffin was brought into his funeral by John Robertson and Gordon Marshall, Pat Jennings and Cliff Jones and Roy McFarland and John McGovern.