- Jimmy McIlroy
Football player infobox
playername= Jimmy McIlroy
fullname = James McIlroy
height =
nickname = Jimmy Mac
dateofbirth = Birth date and age|1931|10|25|mf=y
cityofbirth = Lambeg
countryofbirth =Northern Ireland
dateofdeath =
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
currentclub =
clubcrest =
clubnumber =
position =Midfielder
years = 1949-1950
1950-1962
1962-1965
1965-1967
clubs = Glentoran
BurnleyStoke City Oldham Athletic
caps(goals) = - (-)
439 (116)
98 (16)
39 (1)
nationalyears = 1951-1962
nationalteam = flagicon|Northern Ireland Northern Ireland
nationalcaps(goals) = 55 (10)James "Jimmy" McIlroy (b.
October 25 1931 , Lambeg, nearLisburn ,Northern Ireland ) is a former football player, regarded as one of the greatest players in the history ofBurnley F.C. and the game of Football itself. Fact|date=September 2007At Burnley
Starting his footballing career at
Belfast -based Northern Irish club Glentoran, McIlroy was signed by Burnley managerFrank Hill , who handed the youngster his league debut in the 1-1 draw against Sunderland atRoker Park in October 1950, just four days before his 19th birthday.McIlroy's inclusion in the team was due to the sale of
Harry Potts , his future manager of Burnley, who had just been sold to Everton.McIlroy played in the second of the two greatest periods in Burnley's history, coinciding with Harry Potts's tenure as manager, when they became 1959-60 English League champions, appeared in the 1962 FA Cup Final and featured in European Competitions.
He played 439 times for the Clarets and scored 116 goals for the club. He is also Burnley's most capped international, appearing for his native Northern Ireland on 51 occasions, scoring 10 goals.
After Burnley
His 1963 transfer to Stoke City was seen as an act of treachery by some Burnley fans. After his time at Stoke, he had a period managing Oldham and then a few weeks in charge of Bolton bringing an end to a great footballing career.He retired to the Burnley area and is still a regular attender of Burnley home matches.
The Jimmy McIlroy Stand
Burnley's stadium,
Turf Moor has a stand named in McIlroy's honour. The stadium's eastern stand was rebuilt in the late 1990s after the Beehole End was demolished and was named "The Jimmy McIlroy Stand".Honours
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
