Wattie Jackson

Who is Wattie Jackson?

Walter "Wattie" Jackson was a Scottish soccer center forward who spent five seasons in the Scottish Football League, at least one in the Football League and two in the American Soccer League.

Born and raised in Renton, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, Jackson, and his brother Alex, both played professionally. In 1920, Jackson began his career with Kilmarnock F.C. of the Scottish Football League. In 1923, while visiting relatives in Detroit, Michigan, he came to the attention Bethlehem Steel F.C. who had recently lost center forward Daniel McNiven to the New York Field Club. The team tracked down Jackson in Michigan and offered him $25.00 per week to play for Bethlehem. This was nearly triple his salary in Scotland and on 25 August 1923, signed with the Steelmen. After one season in the United States, Jackson returned to Scotland where he played the next two seasons with Aberdeen F.C. In 1925, he joined Preston North End in the Football League. In 1927, he returned to the United States where he resigned with Bethlehem Steel. He played only thirteen games that season before moving to the Philadelphia Centennials of the Eastern Professional Soccer League.