Dixie Deans

This article is about the Scottish footballer. For the New Zealand pioneer, seeJohn Deans (pioneer).For the RAF pilot and POW camp leader, seeDixie Deans (RAF airman).

Not to be confused with the English footballerDixie Dean.

Dixie Deans

Personal information
Full name	John Kelly Deans
Date of birth	(1946-07-30)30 July 1946
Place of birth	Johnstone,Scotland
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Position(s)	Centre forward
Youth career
	Neilston Juniors
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1965	Albion Rovers(trialist)	1	(0)
1965–1971	Motherwell	152	(78)
1971–1976	Celtic	126	(89)
1976–1977	Luton Town	14	(6)
1977	→Carlisle United(loan)	4	(2)
1977	→Partick Thistle(loan)	6	(2)
1977–1980	Adelaide City	57	(30)
Total		360	(207)
International career
1974	Scotland	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John Kelly "Dixie" Deans(born 30 July 1946)is a Scottish retiredfootballer.He played as acentre forwardin the 1960s and 1970s, primarily forMotherwellandCeltic,and was a prolific goal-scorer. Deans played in two international matches forScotland,both in 1974. He was nicknamed "Dixie" in honour of legendaryEvertonandEnglandcentre-forwardDixie Dean.

Club career

Deans joinedMotherwellfromNeilston Juniorsin 1965 and spent six seasons with theFir Parkside.He signed for Celtic in a £17,500 deal on 31 October 1971 but was unable to play for Celtic immediately as he was, at the time, serving a six-match ban; during this period he spent his free time working in the Paisley office of theEvening Times.

He played for Celtic until 1976, and during this time he scored 125 goals in 186 games,and set several scoring records. The six goals he struck in a defeat ofPartick Thistlein the 1973–74 season is a post-war record for a single game; Thistle's goalkeeper was theScotlandgoalkeeperAlan Rough.He is the only player in Scottish football history to twice score ahat trickin a major cup final, achieving the feat in the1972 Scottish Cup Finaland the1974 Scottish League Cup Final,both againstHibernian.

He is also remembered for the part he played in the semi-final of the1971–72 European Cup,when Celtic were paired withInter Milan,whom they had beaten in the final five years earlier. The two legs and extra-time failed to yield a single goal and so the tie proceeded to penalties. Deans, who had come on as a substitute, took the first kick for Celtic and missed. Inter then scored all five of their penalties and moved on to the final againstAjax.

In 1976, Deans was transferred toLuton Townin a £20,000 deal. He spent a month on loan toCarlisle Unitedin 1977 and played briefly withLeague of IrelandsideShelbourne(5 league games, no goals) before moving to Australia to play forAdelaide City.He is still a hero to the Adelaide fans for his goal-scoring abilities when he was the leading scorer in Australia in 1977/78.With the club he also won the Australian Cup of 1979, defeatingSt. Georgein the final 3–2. He returned to Scotland with Partick Thistle in 1980, where he retired.

International career

Deans earned twocapsforScotland,both in 1974.He was left out of the Scotland squad for the1974 FIFA World Cupin West Germany. He had made the initial 40 man squad, but missed the final cut of 22, asDonald FordandDenis Lawwere selected instead. Deans was eventually capped in October 1974, in a 3–0 win againstEast Germany,and a month later won a second cap in a 2–1 defeat againstSpain.

Retirement

In his autobiographyThere's Only One Dixie Deans,he claimed that whilst living in Australia, he metBob Marley,who asked him, "Are you the Dixie Deans who used to play for Celtic?", and mentioned that he envied Deans for having played at Celtic Park.Deans is now a match-day host atCeltic Park,where he entertains guests along with other former Celtic players. He is also involved with business interests in Glasgow, owning "Dixie's" pub inRutherglen,and was involved with former Celtic player Tommy Callaghan in the firm Esperanza Property Development.

Honours

Motherwell

• Scottish Division Two:1968–69

Celtic

• Scottish Division One:1971–72,1972–73,1973–74
• Scottish Cup:1971–72,1973–74
• Scottish League Cup:1974–75
• Drybrough Cup:1974–75

Adelaide City

• NSL Cup:1979

External links

• Dixie Deansat Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database