Footballer and accountant;
Born: January 16, 1937; Died: February 4, 2012.
GEORGE Duncan, who has died aged 75 from a brain tumour, was a footballer and Rangers first team player between 1957 and 1960.
He was born in Birchfield Drive, Scotstoun, Glasgow, the youngest of four children born to the late Richard and Davina Duncan.
At a young age he showed his football talents when he played in the streets of Ashdale Drive, Mosspark.
He was selected to play schoolboy international football for Scotland and signed for Kirkintilloch Rob Roy. He was then signed by Scot Symon for Rangers in 1957.
An outside right winger, he played for Rangers for five years where he hit the headlines many times. One such headlines from his scrapbook quoted 'Rangers have found another young star'.
In that article it described him as 'tricky, determined in the tackle, a grand crosser of the ball as he scoops his flag kicks to the far post they scoop up, drop down, the kind that scream to be sharply headed home.'
However Alex Scott was also playing for Rangers on the right wing at that time and following a spell on loan with Raith Rovers, George was transferred to Southend United and made his debut for Southend on Boxing Day 1960, when he scored two goals to gain them a draw.
He met his late wife Janette Reid, from Dennistoun, Glasgow, while playing for Rangers and they married in June 1960. They then moved to Chesterfield, Derbyshire, where the local newspaper referred to him as 'A Chesterfield hero and a star that Rangers let slip'.
In 1965 he then signed for Chelmsford City and settled in the Essex town with his wife and daughter Amanda. He enjoyed his time with Chelmsford City and had many great friends in the area.
He then went on to play for Cambridge United, followed by a move to Bury St Edmonds and Bury Town, which proved to be a great move for him as he joined his friend John Docherty, who also began his professional career in Scotland.
Together they helped Bury to win the Metropolitan league. At the end of his professional football career, he took up a career in accountancy, but he wanted to continue his career in football and became a player manager/coach of many local Essex football teams including Braintree Town, Heybridge Swifts and Maldon Town.
His passion for football never waned and when his daughter Amanda had two footballing boys, Ryan and Cameron, he decided to put his experience, knowledge and skills back into football. In his later years he became a football coach at Ingatestone school in Essex, known by all the pupils affectionately as Mr D. He also qualified as a referee in local football.
He was diagnosed with a brain tumour in January 2011 and died peacefully at home on February 4, 2012. Tragically he was predeceased by his wife Jan, who suffered anaphylactic reaction to numerous wasp stings she received when they couple went for a stroll near their home last summer.
He was a truly brave man to the end and is survived by his daughter Amanda, her husband Darren, his grandchildren Ryan and Cameron, his brother Richard who lives in Cumbernauld, his sister Davina who lives in Canada and many nieces and nephews.
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