R.I.P. Gil Heron

[Mac 10 †]

FORMER Celtic player Gil Heron has died at the age of 87. He passed away in a nursing home in Detroit on Thursday, November 27.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Gil had been playing in the United States and was invited to Scotland and took part in a public trial at Celtic Park on August 4, 1951, scoring twice in the game.

It was enough to impress the club who signed him and he made his debut on August 18, 1951 in a League Cup tie against Morton at Celtic Park. He scored once in a 2-0 victory.

He stayed a year at Celtic, making five appearances and scoring two goals before joining Third Lanark.

He eventually returned to the United States, settling in Detroit. He was also the father of famous jazz musician, Gil Scott-Heron.

Gilbert St. Elmo "Gil" Heron, nicknamed the Black Arrow (1922 - 27 November, 2008) was a Jamaican footballer. He was the first black player to play for Scottish club Celtic.

Career

A centre forward, Heron was born in Kingston, moved to Canada as a youth and was later enlisted in the Canadian Air Force, where his footballing talent first shone. After that he signed for American club Detroit Corinthians and the champion Detroit Wolverines, where he was top goalscorer in the 1946 season of the North American Professional Soccer League.

He was spotted by a scout from Celtic and was later signed by the Scottish club in 1951 after being invited over for a trial. Heron went on to score on his debut, on August 18, 1951 in a League Cup tie against Morton that Celtic won 2-0. Heron only played five first-team matches in all, scoring twice. He was released by the club the next year and joined Third Lanark, and then English club Kidderminster Harriers before moving back to Detroit Corinthians.

Personal life

Gil Heron was the father of poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron. He died in Detroit of a heart attack on November 27, 2008.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Heron

[Turf Hitta]

dammit i thought this was gonna be about Gil Scott Heron