Donald Colman
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Donald Cameron Cunningham | ||
| Date of birth | 14 August 1878 | ||
| Place of birth | Renton, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 4 October 1942 (aged 64) | ||
| Place of death | Aberdeen, Scotland | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Right-back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Glasgow Perthshire | |||
| Tontine Athletic | |||
| Renton | |||
| Maryhill | |||
| 1905–1907 | Motherwell | 41 | (0) |
| 1907–1920 | Aberdeen | 323 | (1) |
| 1920–1925 | Dumbarton | 51 | (0) |
| Total | 415 | (1) | |
| International career | |||
| 1911–1913 | Scotland | 4 | (0) |
| 1910–1911 |
Scottish League XI[1] | 2 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1922-1931 | Dumbarton | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Donald Cameron Cunningham (14 August 1878 – 4 October 1942), known as Donald Colman, was a
Junior career
Colman was born and brought up in the Dunbartonshire town of Renton, home of Renton F.C., an early power in the Scottish game. The young Colman was passionate about football, and had helped out at his local club as a boy before signing to play for the Junior club Glasgow Perthshire. Colman feared that his choice of profession would not be favoured by his parents, and signed under his grandmother's name of Colman - by the time he was accepted by his family as a professional footballer, he felt that it was too late to revert, so he was known throughout his football career as Donald Colman.[2]
From Glasgow Perthshire, Colman moved to a number of other junior clubs, including Maryhill and his hometown club, but a career in senior football seemed to have eluded him in spite of interest at various times from Hibs and Sunderland. He was considered to be too small in stature to make a professional,[2] and seemed destined to remain a junior player until he was signed by Motherwell at the late age of 27 in 1905.[3]
Senior playing career
Colman played for Motherwell for only two seasons before being released on a free transfer. At the relatively advanced age of 29, it would have been reasonable for him to consider his senior career over. However, he was signed by Aberdeen manager
After the war, Colman resumed his Aberdeen career, and was still playing regularly during his final season at the club in 1920, after which he moved to Dumbarton as player-coach.[6] He was reported to have still been an active player in 1925, at the age of 47.[2]
Coaching career
While player-coach at Dumbarton, Colman regularly travelled to
Personal life and death
Colman, as befits his reputation as a late starter, did not marry until he was 46. He fathered two children, Edna and Donald, and lived in Aberdeen until his death from tuberculosis in 1942.[2] His great-granddaughter, Rachel Corsie, is also a footballer and captains the Scotland national team.[10]
In November 2018, he was one of four inductees into the Aberdeen Hall of Fame.[11]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Scottish Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Motherwell | 1905–06 | Scottish Division One
|
- | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 |
| 1906–07 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | ||
| Total | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 0 | ||
| Aberdeen | 1907–08 | Scottish Division One
|
28 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| 1908–09 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 0 | ||
| 1909–10 | 34 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 37 | 0 | ||
| 1910–11 | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 36 | 0 | ||
| 1911–12 | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 0 | ||
| 1912–13 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 | ||
| 1913–14 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 0 | ||
| 1914–15 | 37 | 0 | - | - | 37 | 0 | ||
| 1915–16 | 26 | 0 | - | - | 26 | 0 | ||
| 1916–17 | 22 | 1 | - | - | 22 | 0 | ||
| 1917–18 | Aberdeen withdrew from competitive football due to the First World War
| |||||||
| 1918–19 | ||||||||
| 1919–20 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
| Total | 323 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 346 | 1 | ||
| Dumbarton | 1920–21 | Scottish Division One
|
17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 1921–22 | Scottish Division Two
|
24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 | |
| 1922–23 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 1923–24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1924–25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 51 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 55 | 0 | ||
| Career stats | 415 | 1 | 27 | 0 | 442 | 1 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 1911 | 3 | 0 |
| 1912 | — | ||
| 1913 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | |
Managerial record
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | D | Win % | |||
| Dumbarton | 1922 | 1931 | 359 | 139 | 65 | 155 | 39.71% |
See also
References
- ^ "Donald Colman". londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
- ^ ISBN 0-340-82344-5.
- ^ Donald COlman, MotherWELLnet
- ^ ISBN 978-1-85983-575-3.
- ^ "Donald Colman - Scotland Football Record". London Hearts. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
- ^ McAllister, Jim (2002). The Sons of the Rock - The Official History of Dumbarton Football Club. Dumbarton: J&J Robertson Printers.
- ^ Donald Colman Dead, Dundee Evening Telegraph, 5 October 1942
- ^ "Latest AFC News". www.afcheritage.org.
- ^ "Dugouts - Pyramid Passion".
- ^ Campbell, Alan (20 October 2012). "Scotland's women set to make Hampden history". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ "AFC Hall of Fame 2018". Aberdeen F.C. 2 November 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ^ "Donald Colman". motherWELLnet. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- ^ "Aberdeen Football Club Heritage Trust - Player Profile". afcheritage.org. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- ^ "Donald Colman | Scotland | Scottish FA". www.scottishfa.co.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- ^ "Dumbarton Manager Donald Colman Details". www.fitbastats.com. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
External links
- "AFC official website: Dark Blue Dons". Archived from the original on 14 March 2009.
- Donald Colman at the Scottish Football Association
