Eric Bakie
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 6 January 1928 | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 13 May 2015 (aged 87) | ||
| Place of death | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Playing position | Left half | ||
| Youth career | |||
| North Merchiston Boys Club | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Hutchinson Vale | |||
| 1949–1951 | Aberdeen | 3 | (0) |
| 1951–1957 | Dunfermline Athletic | 90 | (3) |
| 1957–1958 | St Johnstone | 28 | (0) |
| 1958–1963 | Duns | ||
| Total | 121 | (3) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Eric Bakie (6 January 1928 – 13 May 2015) was a Scottish footballer and civil servant.
Early life
Bakie was born in Edinburgh and grew up supporting local club Heart of Midlothian.[1] One of his neighbours as a child was Lawrie Reilly, who later played for Scotland; the two remained lifelong friends.[1] He attended North Merchiston Primary School before winning a bursary to the Royal High School.[1] During his childhood he played for North Merchiston Boys Club, and he represented Scotland's Boys Clubs in matches against Wales and England.[1] After leaving school he joined the Ministry of Labour as a civil servant.[1] Bakie completed his national service in Cairo as a staff sergeant.[1]
Football career
After completing his national service Bakie joined Hutchinson Vale in Edinburgh.[1] He combined his football career with his job in the Ministry of Labour; in 1949 he was close to moving to London for work, and received interest from Arsenal.[1] However he remained in Scotland and instead signed for Aberdeen.[1] He continued to live in Edinburgh, where he trained in the evenings at Hibernian's ground, and travelled to Aberdeen on Saturdays, the only time he saw his teammates.[1] His debut for Aberdeen came in a 5–0 victory against Motherwell on 17 December 1949.[1] Bakie struggled to secure a first-team place at Aberdeen due to his part-time status, and he was released on a free transfer in 1951.[1] He made only three appearances for Aberdeen in the Scottish Football League during his two years with the club.[2]
Bakie then signed for Dunfermline Athletic, still combining his football career with his civil service job.[1] His contract at Dunfermline in the 1950s was "a minimum of £4 per week."[1] He spent 6 seasons at Dunfermline and was their joint longest-serving player, alongside Ron Mailer.[1] During his time with Dunfermline he scored 3 goals in 90 appearances in the league.[2] After a season with St Johnstone, with whom he made 28 league appearances,[2] he then dropped out of the league system to play for Duns, winning the Scottish Qualifying Cup on two occasions with them.[1] He finally retired in 1963.[1] He made a total of 121 league appearances for Aberdeen, Dunfermline Athletic and St Johnstone,[2] and over 160 appearances for them in all competitions.[1]
Later life and death
Bakie remained at the Ministry of Labour throughout his working life.[1] After retiring he played golf and bowls.[1] He died in Edinburgh on 13 May 2015, at the age of 87.[1] He left behind his wife, two children, and several grandchildren.[1]