Celtic legend Deans has died at the age of 79. He earned two caps for Scotland and was a prolific scorer for both Motherwell and Celtic during the 1960s and 1970s, securing six major trophies with Celtic.
Deans began his career with Neilston Juniors and was nicknamed after former Everton and England striker Dixie Dean due to his remarkable scoring ability, which included an impressive 60 goals in a single season.
In 1965, he transferred to Motherwell, where he continued to score consistently, netting 89 goals in 198 appearances and helping the team win the Second Division title in the 1968-69 season.
Although he received several red cards while at Fir Park, Celtic manager Jock Stein was undeterred and signed Deans in 1971 after a surprising 4-1 defeat to Partick Thistle in the League Cup final.
Deans improved his discipline but maintained his scoring prowess, forming a successful partnership with fellow forward Kenny Dalglish.
He achieved a hat-trick in both the 1972 Scottish Cup final and the 1974 League Cup final against Hibernian, but he is also remembered for missing a crucial penalty in Celtic’s 1972 European Cup semi-final shootout loss to Inter Milan.
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In 1976, Deans transferred to Luton Town after scoring 124 goals in 184 appearances for Celtic. He later played for Adelaide United, Carlisle United, and Partick Thistle before retiring in 1980.
In a statement, Motherwell expressed: “Deans will be fondly remembered for his exceptional goal-scoring at Fir Park. He passed away at 79, and our thoughts are with his family and friends during this very sad time. Rest in peace, Dixie.”
Celtic chairman Peter Lawwell remarked: “This is very sad news, and I extend my heartfelt condolences to Dixie’s family and friends. Dixie was a remarkable Celt and one of the greatest goal scorers to have played for the club.
I was fortunate to watch him throughout his career, and he contributed significantly to our successes in the 1970s, especially with those unforgettable hat-tricks against Hibs in two cup finals at Hampden.
I was even luckier to get to know him personally in recent years, and it was always a pleasure to see him at Celtic Park on match days.
His deep love for Celtic was evident, as was the affection the supporters had for him.”
