Google Doodle celebrates Scottish footballer Andrew Watson.
(Picture: Google Doodle)Google Doodle is celebrating the life of Scottish footballer Andrew Watson with a doodle illustrated by London-based guest artist Selom Sunu.
Watson, who is considered to be the first black international footballer, was the Scottish team’s captain and the first black administrator in history.
He is being remembered on October 18 because on this day in 1884, Watson took the field for the Scottish football team Queen’s Park in the first game played at the New Hampden Park stadium.
Find out about Andrew Watson and his remarkable football career below.
Who was Andrew Watson?
Born in 1856 in Georgetown, Guyana, Watson is thought to be the first black person to have played association football at an international level.
He was born to a wealthy family and they relocated to Britain where football was becoming increasingly popular. Watson became interested in the sport while attending public schools in Yorkshire and Wimbledon.
Watson inherited his father’s wealth and became financially independent after his father’s death around the age of 19.
He enrolled at the University of Glasgow where he studied engineering, natural philosophy, and maths. But 21-year-old Watson developed different ambitions and instead of graduating he started a wholesale warehouse business, while playing football on the side.
Watson married twice – first in 1877 to Jessie Nimmo Armour and then, after she died, to Eliza Kate Tyler in 1887. He had four children from both marriages: Rupert, Agnes, Henry, and Phyllis.
Watson died on March 8, 1921, from pneumonia at the age of 64 in London. He retired from football 11 years before his death.
Today his body rests at Richmond cemetery where his grave can be visited.
Andrew Watson’s football career
Watson had a successful 14-year football career.
He began his footballing career with Maxwell FC in Glasgow before moving on to Parkgrove in 1874, he was also their match secretary, making him the first black administrator in football. While at Parkgrove, Watson played with another black player, Robert Walker.
In 1880, Watson represented Glasgow against Sheffield at Bramhall Lane. His talent for the sport was immediately noticed and he signed up for Queen’s Park, the biggest football team in the UK at the time. He played fullback and was valued as a skilled player during this time.
He then became Queen’s Park’s secretary in 1881 and 1882 at the same time as he led the team to two consecutive Scottish Cup wins.
Watson’s achievements didn’t end there. He became the first black player to play in the English Cup in 1882 when he moved to London and played for the Swifts. He also played for the Corinthians, Pilgrims, Brentwood, and London Caledonians.
Over the course of his career, Watson won the Scottish Cup three times and won all three matches he played against England. The Hampden Bowling club in Glasgow, the site of Scotland’s third victory over England, features a mural of Watson to mark his achievements.
Despite the fact that Watson's playing days were almost a century ago, he continues to have an impact on football today, serving as an inspiration for present-day black players as well as those who will come after them.
