Gordon McKeag
Encyclopedia
Gordon McKeag was an English
solicitor
and former chairman of Newcastle United
.
and attended Durham
and Cambridge University. He followed in his father's footsteps to become a solicitor.
McKeag was first appointed to the board of Newcastle United in November 1972 on the death of his father, Alderman McKeag. In June 1988 he took on the top job as chairman at the club while he was in recovery from a quintuple heart bypass. He led the club through a difficult period when it was demoted to the old Division Two
. During that time he fought off takeover bids from Sir John Hall
. He stepped down from the job in December 1990 after a club share issue failed to gain support.
McKeag continued to be involved in a number of high profile organisations. He was president of the Football League, chairman of the FA Challenge Cup Committee, director of the Football Association and director of the Football League and PFA
Administration. He was also president of the Jesmond Lawn Tennis Club where he was a member for more than 30 years.
His passion for football never waned and a week before his death he was in his usual seat in the Milburn Stand at the last home game to watch Newcastle beat Manchester City
at St James' Park
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
and former chairman of Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
.
Biography
McKeag was born in WhickhamWhickham
Whickham is a town in North East England, four miles south west of Newcastle upon Tyne and four and a half miles west of Gateshead. Whickham is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Its postal address is Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne. Whickham is situated on high ground overlooking the...
and attended Durham
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
and Cambridge University. He followed in his father's footsteps to become a solicitor.
McKeag was first appointed to the board of Newcastle United in November 1972 on the death of his father, Alderman McKeag. In June 1988 he took on the top job as chairman at the club while he was in recovery from a quintuple heart bypass. He led the club through a difficult period when it was demoted to the old Division Two
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
. During that time he fought off takeover bids from Sir John Hall
John Hall (businessman)
Sir John Hall is a property developer in North East England. He is also life president and former chairman of Newcastle United.-Biography:...
. He stepped down from the job in December 1990 after a club share issue failed to gain support.
McKeag continued to be involved in a number of high profile organisations. He was president of the Football League, chairman of the FA Challenge Cup Committee, director of the Football Association and director of the Football League and PFA
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....
Administration. He was also president of the Jesmond Lawn Tennis Club where he was a member for more than 30 years.
His passion for football never waned and a week before his death he was in his usual seat in the Milburn Stand at the last home game to watch Newcastle beat Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
at St James' Park
St James' Park
St James' Park, known for sponsorship reasons as the Sports Direct Arena, is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United Football Club and is the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of between 52,387 and 52,409.St James'...
.