Willie Cunningham (1930 - 2007)

Death of the most successful manager in th

It is with much sadness that the Club has learned of the death on Friday 31st  August, of former player, captain and manager of Dunfermline Athletic Willie Cunningham.  Sincere condolences are extended to his wife Maureen, son Graham, daughter Alison and family.  We share your grief and remember Willie as a gentleman and great friend of everyone at Dunfermline Athletic and throughout the football fraternity.

If Jock Stein will always be regarded as one of the greatest football managers, the man that Stein himself picked to follow in his footsteps at Dunfermline also developed into one of the best managers in the club's history.

Willie Cunningham was born in Mallusk, County Antrim in Northern Ireland on 20th February 1930, but has spent most of his life in Scotland. He joined St Mirren in 1949, and then in December 1954, moved south to join Leicester City. He became a regular for Leicester but in 1959 returned to Scotland, homesick.

Jock Stein, who had recently taken over as Dunfermline manager, moved to buy the defender for £1850. It was a decision that Stein later regarded as one of his best ever. Stein made him captain at Dunfermline.

Stein had also studied Italian coaching methods and Cunningham became the first player in Scotland to occupy the sweeper role, a tactic that proved exceptionally successful in Dunfermline's forays into Europe. He was capped thirty times by Northern Ireland - four while signed for Dunfermline - and under Stein took on a coaching role.

Willie with Alex Edwards and Jackie Sinclair

By the time that Stein moved to Hibs in 1964, Cunningham had already had to give up his playing career due to recurring injuries. He was the natural to take over as manager from Stein and when he did he enjoyed great success, especially in 1964/65 when he came within a whisker of winning the League and Cup double. He resigned in 1967 but later became manager of Falkirk in 1969.

It is a measure of the high regard in which he was held that - long before Berti Vogts - he became the first non-Scot to be asked to manage the national team. It was an offer he declined, but he did go on to take over as manager at his first club St Mirren in 1972. When he finally left St Mirren in 1974, he was replaced by Alex Ferguson, a player who had twice played under him.In later years he continued to live in Dunfermline his adopted home and became manager of a Sports Shop in the town before retiring.

Willie, second from right in Budapest for Dunfermline's European Cup Winners Cup tie against Ujpesti Dosza in season 1961/2

As a player, Willie made 107 appearances for Dunfermline and scored five goals - all from the penalty spot!As manager, Willie was in charge for 162 competitive games, all of which were in the highest league. His record of 89 wins and 34 draws makes him to this day the most successful manager in the club's history.

Willie's funeral will be held on Friday 7th September and a mark of respect will be paid before Sunday's SFL against St Johnstone.