The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Celtic’s legendary defender Jim Brogan, an ‘unsung hero’
Former Celtic player Jim Brogan has died at the age of 74 following a long battle with dementia.
The defender made 341 appearances for Celtic in his 13 years with the club and was part of Jock Stein’s dream team in the 1970s.
He featured in the 1970 European Cup final defeat by Feyenoord, and won four caps for Scotland in 1971.
Mr Brogan made his Celtic debut alongside his brother Frank in 1963 after signing from local side St Roch’s.
However, he had to wait until 1968 before becoming a first-team regular following injury to Lisbon Lion John Clark.
He formed a strong partnership in central defence with Billy McNeill and won league and Scottish Cup medals during his first season as a regular.
The tough-tackling defender won consecutive Scottish League Championships from 1968 to 1974, Scottish Cups in 1969, 1971, 1972 and 1974, and the Scottish League Cup in 1968/69, 1969/70 and 1974/75.
Mr Brogan left Celtic in the summer of 1975 and went on to play for Coventry and Ayr.
He started showing signs of dementia while he was still in his 50s, and was diagnosed in 2008.
His family have been campaigning for more research into the links between the condition and football.
A statement from Celtic described him as an “unsung hero”. The club said: “As a defender, he was someone that relished the physical challenges of the game, such as the memorable European Cup semi-final triumph over Leeds United at Hampden in 1970.”