News

In Memoriam | FPs who passed away in 2019

30 December 2019

Author AFC Media Team

Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

As we come to the end of the year, we would like to remember all the Aberdeen FC Former Players that we lost from the Dons family this past twelve months.

Sadly, over the festive period three players who wore the famous red shirt passed away.

Ian Cumming was a well known and very popular figure in Aberdeen. Despite being unwell for a long time, he was still a regular attender of matches at Pittodrie.

Ian started playing football in earnest at Cumming’s Park Primary and was part of the Aberdeen Primary Schools’ Select from 1956 to 1959, alongside Martin Buchan. At Northfield Academy, he played for Scottish Schoolboys’ Select alongside Jocky Scott, Aberdeen born Colin Jackson and Leeds United legends Eddie Gray and Peter Lorimer.

After leaving school, he joined Junior outfit Banks o’ Dee where he scored 75 goals in one season.

He was signed by Tommy Pearson for Aberdeen in 1965 and was freed by Eddie Turnbull in 1969, during which time he was a regular in the reserve side and made six first team appearances. His one senior goal came against Motherwell in a 3-0 victory at Fir Park in March 1968.

Also before Christmas, we lost Tommy White who died at age of 80.

The Musselburgh-born forward started his career at Bonnyrigg Rose and also turned out for Raith Rovers, St Mirren and Hearts, where he scored 48 goals in 52 games over two seasons. Despite this, the emergence of Donald Ford led to manager Tommy Walker allowing Tommy to leave in June 1965.

He moved to Pittodrie in a swap deal for Don Kerrigan. Don was also a striker and had scored 29 goals in 63 games between 1963 and 1965 for Aberdeen.

Tommy played 18 times for the Dons during the 1965/66 season and scored five goals, but then, along with team-mate John McCormick, joined Crystal Palace in May 1966.

Sadly in-between that time, in July 1964, his brother, the Scottish International John White, was killed by lightning on a golf course.

Tommy had spells in England with Palace as well as Blackpool, Bury and Crewe in the early 1970s. White was briefly caretaker-manager of Blackpool in 1990, and served as a director at the club for 12 years.

And today we were learned that George McMillan sadly passed away on Christmas Day. George, who was in his 90s, was with the club way back at the start of the 1950s.

Our condolences go to the families of all three players as we remember them, our other ex-players and ex-manager Billy McNeill who we said goodbye to in 2019:

Des Herron 09/02/19 –

http://www.afcheritage.org/Team/CurrentSquad/player_show.cfm?player_id=196

John Valentine 17/2/19 –

http://www.afcheritage.org/Team/CurrentSquad/player_show.cfm?player_id=8223

Billy McNeill 22/04/19 –

http://www.afcheritage.org/Team/Manager/index.cfm?manager_id=10

Ian MacFarlane 17/06/19 –

http://www.afcheritage.org/Team/CurrentSquad/player_show.cfm?player_id=328

Lewis Thom 28/06/19 –

http://www.afcheritage.org/Team/CurrentSquad/player_show.cfm?player_id=497

Allan Boyd – 25/10/19 –

http://www.afcheritage.org/Team/CurrentSquad/player_show.cfm?player_id=7&Season=1950-51