Jimmy Hay

Who was Jimmy Hay?

James "Jimmy" Hay was a Scottish footballer who played for Ayr, Celtic, Newcastle United, Ayr United and the Scotland national team.

Hay was born in Woodside, Ayrshire and signed for Celtic for £50 from Ayr in March 1903. Described as a strong tackler, Hay captained Celtic between 1906 and 1911 and made a total of 322 appearances for the club, scoring 23 goals. He was part of the Celtic side which won six consecutive league titles between season 1904-05 and season 1909-10 under the management of Willie Maley.

He left Celtic in 1911 after the club failed to meet his improved contract demands and joined English club Newcastle United. He returned to Scotland in 1915 with Ayr United where he remained for three years.

He was capped 11 times by Scotland between 1905 and 1914 and captained his country on three occasions. Hay also represented the Scottish League XI.

He later had a spell in management at former club Ayr United where he was appointed in June 1924. The club were relegated from the First Division in his first season as manager. He left the club in January 1926 after accusing Ayr United director Tom Steen of trying to bribe a referee. Hay was banned indefinitely by the Scottish Football Association after he refused to apologise, but the suspension was lifted in November 1927 and later had a career as an insurance agent until his death on 4 April 1940.