– 1974) was a Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 international footballer

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 who played as a fullback

Defender (football)

Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....

.

McStay began his senior career when he joined 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...

 from Larkhall Thistle in 1912, although he was immediately loaned to Ayr United

Ayr United F.C.

Ayr United Football Club are a Scottish association football team based in Ayr, South Ayrshire, that plays in the First Division of the Scottish Football League. Formed in 1910 after the merger of former clubs Ayr Parkhouse F.C. and Ayr F.C...

, spending the following four seasons with the Somerset Park

Somerset Park

Somerset Park is a football stadium located in Ayr, South Ayrshire, Scotland.It has been the home of Ayr United since they were founded in 1910. Prior to that, it was the home ground of Ayr F.C.. It currently has a capacity of 10,185 of which 1,597 is seated, making it one of the largest capacity...

 club. He had further spells away from Celtic Park

Celtic Park

Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...

 during the latter years of the First World War, assisting Irish

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 sides Distillery and Belfast Celtic, before establishing himself in the Celtic first team.

McStay earned his first selection for the Scottish national side

Scotland national football team

The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...

 in 1921. He made his debut in a 2-1 defeat of Wales

Wales national football team

The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

 at Pittodrie

Pittodrie Stadium

Pittodrie Stadium is an all-seated football stadium situated in the Scottish city of Aberdeen. It was first used in 1899 and from 1903 has been the home of Aberdeen Football Club...

 and also played in the match against Ireland

Ireland national football team (IFA)

The Ireland national football team represented Ireland at association football, it was organised by the Irish FA , and is the fourth oldest international team in the world. It mainly played in the British Home Championship against England, Scotland and Wales...

 two weeks later. He was not selected again until 1925 but would eventually win a total of 13 caps for his country. McStay also appeared 10 times for the 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...

.

Having helped Celtic to the 1917

1916-17 in Scottish football

The 1916–17 season was the 27th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish League Division One:Champions: CelticNote: Due to increasing travel difficulties under war-time conditions, Aberdeen, Dundee and Raith Rovers were asked to retire from the League at the end of the season...

, 1919

1918-19 in Scottish football

The 1918–19 season was the 29th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish League Division One:Champions: Celtic-Scottish Cup:...

 and 1922

1921-22 in Scottish football

The 1921–22 season was the 32nd season of competitive football in Scotland. Division Two was reintroduced after having been abandoned due to World War I. Automatic promotion and relegation was introduced this season, as well as goal difference to divide teams who are level on points...

 League title

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....

s, In 1923, McStay played one game with New York Field Club

New York Field Club

New York F.C. was a successful early American soccer club.The club was originally a member of the amateur National Association Foot Ball League then became an inaugural member of the professional American Soccer League in 1921.The club won the Southern New York State Football Association in...

 in the American Soccer League

American Soccer League

The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...

.

He was appointed captain of Celtic upon his return to the club later that year, taking over from William Cringan

William Cringan

William "Willie" Cringan was a former Scottish international footballer who played for Sunderland A.F.C., Ayr United, Celtic, Third Lanark and Motherwell....

, and held the role for six years. During this time he won a further League Championship (in 1926

1925-26 in Scottish football

The 1925–26 season was the 36th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish League Division One:Champions: CelticRelegated: Raith Rovers, Clydebank-Scottish League Division Two:...

) and three Scottish Cup

Scottish Cup

The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...

s. He was succeeded as Celtic captain by his brother Jimmy McStay

Jimmy McStay

James Frederick "Jimmy" McStay was a Scottish football player and manager. He spent most of his career at Celtic, and was a captain and manager for the club. He took over the club captaincy from his brother, Willie McStay, in 1929.McStay managed the club between 9 February 1940, and 23 July 1945...

 in 1929, when he was sold to Hearts

Heart of Midlothian F.C.

Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...

 for £250. He retired from playing in 1930 and was later manager of Glentoran

Glentoran F.C.

Glentoran F.C. is a semi-professional, football club in Northern Ireland. The club was founded in 1882 and plays its home games at the Oval in east Belfast. Club colours are green, red, and black.Glentoran's biggest rivals are Linfield...

 for a period in the mid-1930s.

McStay has several family footballing connections. In addition to his brother his great-nephews, Paul

Paul McStay

Paul Michael Lyons McStay MBE, nicknamed the Maestro , is a former football player who spent his entire career with Scottish team Celtic F.C., making his debut in 1982 and retiring in 1997. He captained both Scotland and Celtic at all age levels...

 and Willie

Willie McStay (footballer born 1961)

William John "Willie" McStay is a Scottish professional football player and manager.-Playing career:McStay played for Celtic from 1979 to 1987. McStay made his debut on 2 April 1983 when he came on as a sub in Celtic's 3-1 home win over Motherwell and went on to make 65 league appearances,...

, also played for Celtic in the 1980s and 1990s.

External links

• Scotland Appearances at londonhearts.com
• Image at londonhearts.com