Tributes to ‘magical’ Willie Hunter

Decades after his time on the pitch came to an end, Scottish football legend Willie Hunter became an ambassador for a project which awakens the memories of dementia sufferers through the sport.

Hunter, who has died aged 80, spent most of his playing career with Motherwell, although he also played for Detroit Cougars in America and Hibs. The striker also played for Scotland on three occasions.

While at Fir Park, he became a firm favourite and turned out more than 200 times in the claret and amber under boss Bobby Ancell in the mid-1950s and early 1960s. In May 1967, Detroit Cougars paid £14,000 for his transfer and Hunter moved to the new American professional league, the NASL.

His new side survived for only a year, however, and he returned to Scotland to join Hibs at the end of the 1968 NASL season.

Following four years playing in South Africa, Hunter became assistant manager of Portsmouth, a role he held for three years.

After wrapping up his playing career, he became an author and wrote about a trek he and his wife had embarked upon.

Hunter later became an ambassador for Football Memories, a charity which uses sporting memorabillia and vintage footage to help dementia sufferers reel back the years.

The scheme was adopted by Aberdeen FC last year and has local limbs all over the country.

Under the scheme, volunteers are trained to spend time with people with dementia who have an interest in football, talking about teams and matches from the past and working with images and memorabilia to stimulate memories.

The project is a partnership between Alzheimer Scotland and the Scottish Football Museum, and is supported by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery and Bupa Care Homes.

Motherwell FC paid tribute to Hunter saying: “Willie had a brilliant football career in what was undoubtedly a tough school. His generous gifts to the game gave him little financial rewards, yet he continued to give to the game and his colleagues afterwards.

“He was a man of substance and opinions, who was the subject of much praise from those who played with, against, or indeed, watched him.

“This magical footballer was perhaps the most complete ever to pull our famous colours over his head and this club is proud to have played a large part in his life.”

Former Motherwell footballer Willie Hunter