The Famous Five (football)
Encyclopedia
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
's forward line of Gordon Smith, Bobby Johnstone
Bobby Johnstone
Robert "Bobby" Johnstone was a Scottish association football player, mainly remembered as one of the Famous Five forward line of Hibernian....
, Lawrie Reilly
Lawrie Reilly
Lawrance "Lawrie" Reilly is a former Scottish association football player. He was one of the "Famous Five", the Hibernian forward line during the 1950s. The others were Bobby Johnstone, Gordon Smith, Eddie Turnbull, and Willie Ormond...
, Eddie Turnbull
Eddie Turnbull
Edward Hunter Turnbull was a Scottish professional football player and manager.During the late 1940s and 1950s he was one of the Famous Five, the noted Hibernian forward line, along with Gordon Smith, Bobby Johnstone, Lawrie Reilly, and Willie Ormond...
and Willie Ormond
Willie Ormond
William 'Willie' Esplin Ormond OBE was a Scottish football player and manager. As a player, Ormond was well known as one of Hibernian's Famous Five forward line, winning three league championships in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He then returned to prominence as a manager, first with a...
. The north stand at Easter Road
Easter Road
Easter Road is a football stadium located in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Hibernian . The stadium currently has an all-seated capacity of 20,421, which makes it the fifth-largest football stadium in Scotland. Easter Road is also...
was named in their honour when it was rebuilt in 1995. All five players have been inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame
Scottish Football Hall of Fame
The Scottish Football Hall of Fame is located at the Scottish Football Museum. Inductees are picked each year by fans and a committee selects the eight finalists who are inducted at an annual dinner....
.
Most or all of the players featured significantly as Hibs won league championships
Scottish football champions
The Scottish football champions are the winners of the highest league in Scottish football, namely the Scottish Football League from 1890 until 1998 and the Scottish Premier League thereafter....
in 1948, 1951 and 1952 - a remarkable achievement given that the club has only won one other championship, in 1903
1902-03 in Scottish football
The 1902–03 season was the 13th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish League Division One:Champions: Hibernian-Scottish League division two:-Scottish Cup:...
. Hibs also finished second to Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
in 1953 on goal average and second to Rangers by a point in 1950. The team was less successful in cup competitions, however. Their only Scottish Cup Final appearance in this period was in 1947
1947 Scottish Cup Final
-External links:*...
, where they lost 2–1 to Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
. Hibs reached the final of the Coronation Cup
Coronation Cup (football)
The Coronation Cup was a one-off football tournament to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, between four English and four Scottish clubs, held in Glasgow in May 1953...
in 1953 by winning against Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, but lost 2–0 to Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
in the final.
It was due to this successful period that Hibs were invited to play in the inaugural European Cup
European Champion Clubs' Cup
The European Champion Clubs' Cup, also known as Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens, or simply the European Cup, is a trophy awarded annually by UEFA to the football club that wins the UEFA Champions League...
in the 1955–56 season, even though the club had only finished in 5th place in 1955, 15 points behind champions
Scottish football champions
The Scottish football champions are the winners of the highest league in Scottish football, namely the Scottish Football League from 1890 until 1998 and the Scottish Premier League thereafter....
Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
. The club reached the semi-finals of the European Cup, losing to Stade Reims
Stade Reims
Stade de Reims is a French association football club based in Reims. The club was formed in 1911 under the name Société Sportive du Parc Pommery and currently play in Ligue 2, the second level of French football having achieved promotion to the league following the 2009–10 season...
.
The forward line was never picked as a whole unit for a Scottish international side. Four of the players appeared in a Scottish League XI
Scottish League XI
The Scottish League XI is a representative side of the Scottish Football League. The team regularly played against the Football League and other national league select teams between 1892 and 1980. For a long period the annual fixture between the English and Scottish leagues was only second in...
game in October 1952, with Turnbull replaced by Dundee
Dundee F.C.
Dundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...
player Billy Steel
Billy Steel
Billy Steel was a Scottish footballer who played for St. Mirren, Morton, Derby County, Dundee and the Scotland national team....
.