Gordon McQueen

McQueen was a goalkeeper (the position in which his father Tom had played professionally) as a schoolboy but later switched to centre-back. He was signed at the age of 18 by St Mirren from Ayrshire Junior team Largs Thistle. He soon had scouts from other clubs monitoring his progress and it was Leeds United who finally offered £30,000 (£360,000 today) in the 1972 close season, seeing him as a long-term replacement for the ageing Jack Charlton. Charlton played for some of the 1972–73 season but had decided to retire as the season was drawing to a close. McQueen played on six occasions in his first season at Leeds, including a substitute appearance in the 1973 European Cup Winners' Cup final, which Leeds lost to A.C. Milan. With Charlton retired and Madeley playing in many positions, McQueen was in the team for most of the 1973–74 season. Leeds won the League Championship, with a run of 29 matches without a defeat from the start of the season with McQueen playing alongside Norman Hunter as Leeds' first-choice centre back pairing. Known for his heading, his 6 feet 3 inches (191 cm) stature and his stubborn attitude, McQueen played a significant role in the team's success. McQueen and Hunter excelled at the back the following season, notably in Leeds' campaign in the European Cup, during which McQueen scored three goals. He was suspended for the 1975 European Cup Final after being sent off in the semi-final versus Barcelona. Leeds went on to lose 2–0 in the final versus Bayern…

At the end of the 1973–74 season McQueen was called up to the Scotland squad and made his international debut versus Belgium. He was selected for the 1974 World Cup squad, but did not play. He soon became a regular for Scotland, and he captained the team and also scored his first international goal in a 1–1 draw against Romania on 1 June 1975. He achieved great success with Scotland in 1977, as he scored goals against Northern Ireland at Hampden then England at Wembley as the Scots won the British Home Championship and later that year he helped the team qualify for the 1978 World Cup by beating Wales at Anfield. Although he was selected for the 1978 World Cup squad, he could not play due to injury. McQueen played his last match for Scotland in 1981, having gained thirty caps and scored five goals.

McQueen coached abroad before managing Airdrieonians from 1987 to 1989, before coaching at his first club St Mirren. When McQueen's friend and former team-mate Bryan Robson was appointed the manager of Middlesbrough, McQueen joined him as reserve-team coach. He held this position for five years, and was then a first-team coach for two years. McQueen left the Teesside club in June 2001, following the departure of Robson and the appointment of Steve McClaren. McQueen then joined Sky Sports as a pundit, working on their Soccer Saturday results show. On 29 April 2008, McQueen returned to Middlesbrough as assistant scout, alongside David Mills.

After coaching Middlesbrough, McQueen and his wife lived in the village of Hutton Rudby, North Yorkshire. The couple had a son and two daughters, including Hayley, who is a sports journalist. Politically, McQueen was a Labour supporter. In October 2011, McQueen was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and started treatment at the James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough. In January 2021, he was diagnosed with vascular dementia. This highlighted the issue of injuries caused to footballers by persistent heading of a ball. He died from complications caused by a combination of vascular dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at home on 15 June 2023, at the age of 70. In January 2026, an inquest into McQueen's death ruled that "It is likely that repetitive head impacts sustained by heading the ball while playing football contributed to the CTE".