Tribute to hero Colin
Former Rangers ace Colin Jackson dies
Tributes have been paid to Rangers legend Colin Jackson, who died on Saturday at the age of 68.
Affectionately known as “Bomber”, Colin lived in Rutherglen for over 30 years, a period that included the peak of his footballing career.
He also played eight times for Scotland and had spells with Morton and Partick Thistle towards the end of his career.
The central defender played over 500 times for the Ibrox club between 1963 and 1982, winning three league championship medals, three Scottish Cups and five league cups.
After his career ended, he played a leading role in setting up the Rangers Former Players Benevolent Fund and was also involved in the creation of the European Former Players Association.
Rangers said the star passed away peacefully at home on Saturday night surrounded by his family after battling leukaemia.
Among this paying tribute this week was former Rangers winger, Davy Wilson, who comes from Newton originally.
He played with Colin in the 1960’s and told the Reformer: “I knew him very well, he helped a lot of the older players. If you needed anything, if you had got into trouble, then you went to him for help. He raised a lot of money to help out the older players.
“He was a good guy. I played with him when he was a very young guy, he was a good player, even at that age you could see he was a star pupil.
“He was a real Rangers legend. Even when he went to Morton he would always be at Ibrox.
“It was a total shock when I heard he had died. I had left a couple of messages on his phone, it’s just terribly sad.
“He was big, strong lad and still went to Ibrox every week, but then stopped going this year.
“I didn’t know what was wrong. I knew he wasn’t very well, but I didn’t know it was so serious.”
Other Rangers players from the era have paid their own tributes, with John Greig saying: “I have lost a great friend.”
Peter McCloy said: “He was one of these guys you would always class as a friend and it’s so sad he won’t be there now,” while Derek Johnstone added: “He was a great player for Rangers and a lovely lad as well, and that is the main thing. He never had any enemies.”
Colin famously missed out on a place in Rangers European Cup Winners’ Cup final side in 1972, through injury, although he did receive a medal.
Back in 2004, he told the Reformer missing that game was the “biggest low point of my career football wise.”
He also played in the Ibrox Disaster game in 1971, and attended funerals of the dead in the aftermath.
In 2011, he told us on the eve of the 40th anniversary: “It was a really hard experience.
“You just felt so sad for the people there. I still think about it every year and there are still memories that remain so vivid.”
Of his time in Rutherglen, Colin said: “The only thing I did not like was that you could not go out for a meal. That was the thing I used to moan about. But I liked the place and I still have lots of friends there and I still go over there.”
He last appeared in the Reformer two years ago, telling us his memories of a young Alex Ferguson after he retired from management.
Colin is survived by daughter Victoria, son Christopher and wife Pam.