Drew Busby: Hearts fans pay tribute to 'great' club legend who has died aged 74

Hearts hall of famer Drew Busby has died at the age of 74.

The Tynecastle Park legend, known affectionately as ‘Buzzbomb’, was a popular figure amongst the club’s supporters with his name included in one of the songs sung on match days.

He scored 84 goals in 256 competitive matches for the club during what was a difficult period for Hearts as they were relegated twice towards the end of the 1970s.

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Despite those struggles, Busby remained a fans’ favourite and finished top scorer in the 1975/76 season with 14 goals as the team reached the Scottish Cup final

Arriving in 1973 from Airdrieonians he played for six seasons, never giving less than 100 per cent, before moving on to Toronto Blizzard following relegation in 1979.

Busby, who also played for Third Lanark, Partick Thistle, Vale of Leven, Morton and Queen of the South, scored against both Lokomotive Leipzig and Hamburg in the European Cup Winners’ Cup. His popularity was such that a large banner of the player used to hang in Tynecastle Park having been selected as one of the club’s 14 favourite players by fans.

In 2018, he was inducted into the club’s hall of fame with a passage on the club’s website stating, “Hearts suffered a number of hammer-blows during the mid-seventies, but Drew Busby was a light at the end of the tunnel and he always made it worthwhile coming along to Tynecastle, despite the set-backs”.

The club’s former match-day announcer Scott Wilson said: "The great Drew Busby sadly passed away this morning and the Hearts family has lost another legend. He was one of the most humble, self-effacing men I ever met and I was honoured to be classed as a friend. My thoughts and prayers are with his family RIP Drew.

Hearts legend Drew Busby has died aged 74. Picture: SNSHearts legend Drew Busby has died aged 74. Picture: SNS
Hearts legend Drew Busby has died aged 74. Picture: SNS

Popular Scottish commentator Derek Rae paid his own tribute.

He said: “The Scottish players we saw in their prime & in our youth always carry extra clout in our minds no matter the team. R.I.P. Drew Busby, a wonderful player in the 70s. Always smiled when referencing him, commentating on @JamTarts matches in later years. Condolences to his loved ones.”

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