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The General

Personal

Fullname: James Hay
aka: Jimmy Hay, The General, Jimmy Dun Hay
Born: 09 Feb 1881
Died: 4 April 1940
Birthplace: Woodside, Coylton, Ayrshire, Scotland
Signed: 3 May 1900 (trial); 19 Mar 1903 (full)
Left:27 July 1911 (to Newcastle Utd)
Position: Defender, Half-back, left-half
Debut: Celtic 2-1 Partick Thistle, League, 15 Aug 1903
Internationals: Scotland
International Caps: 11 caps (3x as captain)
International Goals: 0

Biog

The magnificent James ‘Jimmy’ Hay is among the finest players to ever pull on the Hoops.

The Ayrshire born left half combined immense strength with subtle skill as a stalwart of Willie Maley’s legendary side which won six league championships in a row between 1905 and 1910.

Hay signed for the Bhoys for a fee of £50 from English side Glossop in March 1903 and he made his senior competitive debut in a 2-1 home league victory over Partick Thistle on August.15th that year.

His play was characterised by a vigorous energy and his driving runs and rapid passes would quickly convert defence into attack. Strong in the tackle and comfortable on the ball Hay was among the most accomplished and respected players of his generation.

His playing abilities were combined with obvious leadership qualities which saw him skipper Celtic between 1906 and 1911. In 1910 he was also made captain of Scotland and led the team out at Goodison in 1911 for the clash with England. He was capped 11 times for his countries, 3 times as captain.

He would leave Celtic Park in July that same year after a benefit game when the Celtic board refused to meet his demands for an improved contract. His departure to Newcastle United came after 255 appearances and 17 goals.

It was a rather sad end to his Parkhead career but in his 8 years in Paradise, Jimmy Hay showed time and time again that he was a great player, a great leader and a great Celt.

He later had a spell in management at former club Ayr United where he was appointed in June 1924. The club were relegated from the First Division in his first season as manager. He left the club in January 1926 after accusing Ayr United director Tom Steen of trying to bribe a referee. Hay was banned indefinitely by the Scottish Football Association after he refused to apologise and later had a career as an insurance agent until his death in April 1940.

Playing Career

Major Honours With Celtic

Scottish League Titles

• 1904-05, 1905-06, 1906-07, 1907-08, 1908-09,
  
• 1909-10

Scottish Cup

• 1904, 1907, 1908, 1911

Pictures

• Player Pics

Books

• James 'Dun' Hay 1881-1940: The Story of a Footballer (2004) by Roy Hay
  

Links

• Grave & Memorial
  
• The KDS Greatest All Time Celt