Billy MacKinnon

For other people with the same name, see William MacKinnon.

Billy MacKinnon
Personal information
Full name William Muir MacKinnon[1]
Date of birth 18 January 1852[2]
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death 24 May 1942(1942-05-24) (aged 90)
Place of death Cambuslang, Scotland
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1870–1880 Queen's Park
International career
1872–1879 Scotland 9 (5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

William Muir MacKinnon (18 January 1852 – 24 May 1942) was a Scottish footballer who played for Queen's Park and the Scotland national team in the 1870s.

With Queen's Park, MacKinnon won the first three Scottish Cup competitions in 1874, 1875 and 1876 (being no relation of teammate Angus MacKinnon), as well as the first Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup in 1877.[3] He was also capped by Scotland, making nine appearances between 1872 and 1879, scoring five goals. As a player, he was described as "a brilliant dribbling artist".[4]

This illustration from the 1872 Scotland v England football match is known to be of MacKinnon, as reports mentioned his use of an overhead kick technique[5]

MacKinnon was the only player who appeared in all of the first seven official international matches between Scotland and England, making him the first caps record holder in international football history. He held the Scotland record until March 1881, when Henry McNeil earned his 10th cap.

Outside the game he was an ironworks engineer and had a great interest in music with a talent for singing.[5]

  1. ^ "Billy MacKinnon". London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  2. ^ Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564–1950
  3. ^ McKinnon, William Muir Archived 29 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine, QPFC.com
  4. ^ IFFHS website Retrieved on 23 April 2008.
  5. ^ a b Mitchell, Andy (2021). The men who made Scotland: The definitive Who's Who of Scottish Football Internationalists 1872-1939. Amazon. ISBN 9798513846642.