Eric Liddell - Scotland's most popular sporting hero

BY public nomination, Eric Liddell was the most popular Scottish sports figure, and the legendary Olympic sprinter of the 1920s, who was also an international rugby player, is joined in the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame by 49 others (in alphabetical order):

Louise Aitken-Walker, MBE, world champion rally driver;

Alister Allan, MBE, shooter and Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games competitor;

Captain Robert Barclay Allardice, long-distance walking champion;

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Tommy Armour, winner of the Open and US Open golf championships;

Leslie Balfour-Melville, Scotland’s greatest-ever all-round sportsman;

Jim Baxter, Rangers and Scotland footballer;

Ian Black, Commonwealth gold medal-winning swimmer;

Sir Chay Blyth, CBE, MBE, Atlantic rower, round-the-world yachtsman;

James Braid, five times Open golf champion;

Billy Bremner, perhaps Scotland’s greatest football captain;

Ken Buchanan MBE, world lightweight boxing champion;

Sir Matt Busby, European Cup-winning manager of Manchester United;

Willie Carson, OBE, Derby winner and five times champion jockey;

Dr John Cattanach, perhaps the finest exponent of shinty;

Jim Clark, OBE, twice Formula One world champion;

Kenny Dalglish, MBE, Scotland’s most-capped footballer;

Mike Denness, captain of England’s cricket team;

Donald Dinnie, heavyweight athlete of the Victorian era;

Launceston Elliot, weightlifter and Britain’s first Olympic champion;

John Greig, MBE, captain of Rangers and Scotland;

Gavin Hastings OBE, Scottish rugby captain and record points-scorer;

Dougal Haston, first Scot to climb Everest;

Sir Peter Heatly, Commonwealth diving gold medallist;

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Andy Irvine, MBE, nominated by Bill McLaren as the greatest Scottish rugby internationalist;

Jimmy Johnstone, officially the greatest Celtic player;

Ellen King, Olympic swimming medallist;

Denis Law, Scotland’s joint top-scorer and arguably the greatest striker of them all;

Benny Lynch, tragic world flyweight boxing champion;

Walter McGowan, world flyweight boxing champion of 1966;

Bobby McGregor, Olympic and Commonwealth swimming medallist;

Bob McIntyre, champion motor-cyclist;

Billy McNeill, MBE, captain of Celtic’s 1967 European Cup-winning side;

GPS Macpherson, captain of Scotland’s first rugby Grand Slam winners in 1925;

Dick McTaggart, Scotland’s greatest amateur boxer and Olympic gold medallist;

Young Tom Morris, four times Open golf champion;

Mark Morrison, one of Scotland’s greatest rugby forwards;

Jackie Paterson, world flyweight boxing champion;

Rodney Pattisson, Olympic gold medal-winning yachtsman;

Nancy Riach, holder of 28 Scottish and British swimming records;

Belle Robertson, Curtis Cup team winner and multiple amateur golfing champion;

Bill Shankly, manager of Liverpool;

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Wilson Shaw, Scottish rugby legend, captain of the Triple Crown- winning side of 1937;

Winnie Shaw, Scotland’s finest woman tennis player;

Jock Stein, who managed Celtic to European Cup victory in 1967;

Ian Stewart, 5000-metres Commonwealth gold and Olympic bronze medallist;

Jackie Stewart, three times Formula One world champion;

Jim Watt, world lightweight boxing champion;

Allan Wells, Olympic champion sprinter; and

David Wilkie, Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer from Montreal Olympics in 1976.

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