Scotsman Obituaries: Dennis Hay, Scottish hockey international who became a top level coach

Dennis Hay, hockey player and coach. Born: 5 October 1940 in Aberdeen. Died: 15 June 2025, aged 84

It is rare for an elite sports star to transition seamlessly from outstanding international to successful coach at the top level. Scotland and GB hockey international player Dennis Hay was one of this rare coterie who reached their full potential both as a player and coach, his work with Scottish and GB hockey, and latterly his association with Edinburgh University leaving a lasting legacy for which his sport will benefit for years to come.

Dennis Hay was born in Aberdeen in 1940, the second of four brothers who all played hockey, following the sporting path of their father James. Dennis’ younger brother, Ken, who also achieved international honours with Scotland Hockey as well as representing his country at athletics, said the brothers were encouraged to play as many sports as possible.

At Kittybrewster primary in Aberdeen, Dennis played football and cricket alongside another bearing the same first name: Denis Law. After primary school, it was secondary education at Aberdeen Grammar School, where his skills in hockey were soon recognised, with Scottish Schools caps in 1957 and 1958 and selection for North District men’s team while still a schoolboy.

His instinct for tactics helped Dennis Hay transition from player to coach

After school in Aberdeen, Dennis trained as a primary and PE teacher at Jordanhill College in Glasgow and then worked in Glasgow, playing for Western from where he won his first Scotland cap in 1964 against Ireland. Then he held posts at Melville College in Edinburgh, Perth Grammar School, Drummond HS and Balerno HS.

It was the start of a stellar Scotland international career that spanned ten years, during which time he played at club level with Glasgow Western and then Inverleith in Edinburgh. In all Dennis won a record number of 63 caps for Scotland, a prodigious achievement at a time when there were far fewer international games than in the present era.

Two years after winning his first Scotland cap, Dennis was selected for the GB squad’s 1966 tour to Australia, a sporting experience that came at the personal financial cost of a quarter of his teacher’s annual salary. It was, of course, the amateur era, a time when hockey was still seen by many as a recreation, and very much counter to the direction Dennis saw for his sport, and which he summed up succinctly, saying: “Playing hockey to get fit: now they get fit to play hockey.”

Dennis also toured India with the GB squad, playing in front of a crowd of 30,000 in one game, and crowned a glittering hockey career by representing his country in the infamous 1972 Munich Olympics’

Additionally, Dennis played for Scotland’s indoor hockey squad, representing his country in the first ever European indoor championships qualifying tournament in Paris (1973) and the finals in Berlin (1974), playing alongside such luminaries as Chris Sutherland.

Dennis’ playing career was built not just on technical skills but on his ability to analyse moves. Dennis was the classic midfielder, able to read games skilfully and work out the tactical answers to achieving victory. And it was this forensic mind allied to good communication skills that made coaching the next natural progression of Dennis’ career in hockey.

Dennis was appointed to the role of coaching Scotland men at the European indoor championships in Novara (1975) and the finals in Arnhem (1976). And in 1982 Dennis began a six-year term as head coach of the Scotland Ladies team, the highlight of which was playing in the Hockey World Cup finals.

Further recognition of his coaching abilities followed in 1988 when Dennis asked to take charge of the GB Ladies squad for the Seoul Olympics, their fourth finishing place a testament to Dennis’ skilful mentoring of the team. Four years later Dennis achieved unarguably the apogee of his coaching career when he led the GB Ladies squad to their Bronze medal finish at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, a success for which he never received full recognition from a London-based press that in tone resented a Scot being appointed head coach of the GB Olympic team.

Four members of the squads Dennis coached in 1988 and 1992 were at his funeral in Edinburgh and afterwards all spoke with genuine warmth and affection for a coach. “Way ahead of his time as a coach,” was the general assessment, with some adding that what made Dennis so special was his attention to detail, his appreciation that the women’s game was different from the men’s game and one-to-one coaching to improve the overall performance of the team. But what was also so evident was the Ladies’ genuine affection for Dennis.

It might have been thought that after hitting the heights of Olympic success Dennis would have rested on his laurels. Not so. After retiring from his teaching post at Balerno High School, Dennis accepted the invitation to become Director of Coaching at the University of Edinburgh.

There, Dennis designed a multi‑team programme and within a year Edinburgh University, whose status in hockey had diminished, were back in the top flight of the Scottish game. And by the time Dennis retired from the post Edinburgh University had doubled their number of teams both in the men’s and women’s sections.

Stuart Dempster, a Scotland international 400m hurdler who co-authored a book on hockey skills with Dennis, recalled the inspirational input from Dennis. “He was a masterclass in imagination and meticulous detail. Together with his son, Alan, [himself a Scotland hockey cap], we crafted training routines on cold evenings at Meadowbank.

"What I cherish most was Dennis’ unwavering commitment to grassroots sport. Despite his glittering résumé, he remained just as devoted to beginners picking up a stick for the first time as to athletes preparing for Olympic competition. That rare blend of humility, warmth, and excellence defined him.”

Dennis is survived by his wife Anne, sons Alan, Brian and Neil, and four grandchildren.

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