Rodger Baillie

Rodger Baillie, a legend of Scottish sports journalism and a former President of the SFWA, sadly passed away today at the age of 84.

Rodger was involved in journalism from when he was 15 years of age until he was 80.

He started as a copy boy at the Glasgow Evening News in 1955 and then did the same job at the Daily Record before progressing on to their sports desk.

Rodger moved to the Sunday Mirror, where he wrote Jock Stein’s column, then moved back to the Record as their number two football writer.

He joined The Sun in the mid 1990’s where he was chief sports writer until his retirement in 2005.

After retiring, Rodger still kept working, writing pieces for the Sunday Times, News of the World and Scottish Sun.

He covered the 1966 World Cup and then four World Cups with Scotland, in 1974, 78, 82, 86 and 1990. Rodger was also at Euro 1992 and 96 with the national team.

And of course, he was there in 1967 when Celtic won the European Cup, even in the dressing room after the victory over Inter Milan in Lisbon. He also covered Rangers' Cup Winners Cup success at the Nou Camp in 1972.

SFWA President Chick Young said: "Dear Rodger.  Another sweet man, another legend of our business has gone in the wake of losing his dear friend Allan Herron.

"Rodger had the ear of the great and good of our game, close to giants like Jock Stein and Willie Waddell.

"He was the owner of an impish sense of fun and a warm love for life. I don’t remember not smiling in his company.

"He had a contacts book which was an A to Z of the glitterati of the Scottish game and breaking stories streamed from his typewriter.  

"A golden era of football writing is crumbling with the passing of Allan and now Rodger.

"His career embraced so much of the glory years of club and international football in this wee outcrop of rock in the North Atlantic.  

"Another colleague, an ex-President of this association and friend is gone.  These are dark days.”

The SFWA will inform members of funeral details in due course.