WITH the Commonwealth Games underway today in Glasgow, revisit the incredible story of Rangers Sports and the world-class athletes who competed at Ibrox.
A Legacy of Athletic Excellence
The first Saturday in August was traditionally sports day at Ibrox.
Rangers Sports, as it was officially known, was once one of the most important athletic meetings in the country, attracting the best that sports had to offer.
The roots of the event were planted back in 1872 during the formation of Rangers, when it wasn’t uncommon for a man to be a member of several sports clubs; football players were also traditionally athletes, cyclists and oarsmen too.
Indeed, one of the club’s founders, Tom Vallance, was a distinguished long jumper and a Scottish Record holder.
Shared Tracks: Clydesdale Harriers and Rangers on the Move
The first open athletics club in Scotland belonged to the Clydesdale Harriers, founded in 1885, who boasted a strong Rangers connection with several men being founder members of both clubs.
The Harriers trained at the Rangers Headquarters at Kinning Park and then moved to Ibrox for training facilities when the football club moved.
It was natural therefore that when the Harriers started holding annual sports, the initial favoured venue was Ibrox, which, in 1899, was generally considered the premium athletics venue in the country, given the construction of a new running track around the perimeter of the pitch.
From Olympic Glory to Ibrox Triumph
Perhaps the most pre-eminent athlete who graced the Ibrox surface was Eric Liddell, who is famously celebrated in the movie ‘Chariots Of Fire’.
In 1924, Liddell ran and won the 440 yards at Ibrox just after his Olympic victory in the 400 metres. As a result, a certain Bill Struth gave him an open invitation to train at Ibrox.
Struth's Sporting Legacy: The Driving Force Behind Rangers Sports
It would be remiss to overlook the influence of Struth, once a fine professional athlete himself, on the Rangers Sports.
Struth’s dedication and drive shaped the annual event into the biggest and best in the country, frequently setting off on trips across the Atlantic to recruit athletes to compete at Rangers Sports.
Shrubb’s Historic Hour at Ibrox
Alfred Shrubb was considered to be the finest distance runner of his generation and participated at Ibrox.
In November 1904, he broke the world one-hour run record along with all the records for six, seven, eight, nine, ten and eleven miles, an achievement which, even amid the advancement in running technology and sports science in this day and age, is still highly regarded in the athletics field.
A Gathering of Greatness
Wyndham Halswelle, meanwhile, was Scotland’s first Olympic Gold medal athlete who competed at Rangers Sports.
Others attracted to the stadium included Sidney Wooderson, world record holder for the mile and 800 metres; Jack Lovelock who was a double Olympic gold medallist; Arthur Wint who later went on to win Olympic gold at both the 1948 and 1952 Olympics; and Paavo Nurmi who won nine Olympic titles.
There is also the tale of Ian Binnie, a remarkable endurance runner of his time who rejected a late invite to run for Great Britain in London.
Binnie had promised Struth that he would appear at Ibrox for the event and certainly wasn’t going to go back on his word.
In many ways, it underlined the prestige of Rangers Sports at the time and as Binnie was leaving the grounds after competing, he encountered Struth who, in gratitude, told him he could train at Ibrox whenever he fancied.
A Royal Welcome
The era of Rangers Sports also coincided with the Empire Exhibition which was staged in Glasgow in 1938.
Staged at Bellahouston Park, a stone’s throw from the stadium, the opening ceremony was staged at Ibrox and attracted 146,000 people.
King George VI and Queen Mary officially opened the games at the stadium and, in typical Glasgow fashion, that summer remains one of the wettest on record.
From Football to Fight Night
Fast forward 42 years and persistent rain did its best to spoil the WBC lightweight title bout between Jim Watt, a boyhood Rangers fan, and Howard Davis at Ibrox.
It proved to be the penultimate victory of Watt’s professional boxing career, with Ibrox following in the footsteps of Hampden Park, Cathkin Park, Shawfield Park and Firhill in staging a boxing bout.
Watch the RTV Studios feature in full below.
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