Gordon Mackay (rugby union)
{{Short description|Scottish rugby union player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox rugby biography
| name = Gordon Mackay
| image =
| birth_name = Gordon Mackay
| birth_date = {{birth date|1969|04|09|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Glasgow, Scotland
| death_date = {{death date and age|2008|07|24|1969|04|09|df=yes}}
| death_place = Glasgow, Scotland
| nickname =
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=4}}
| weight = {{convert|108|kg|stlb|abbr=on}}
| position = Flanker
| repteam1 = Scotland U16
| repteam2 = Scotland U21
| repyears1 = 1986
| repyears2 = 1990
| repcaps1 =
| reppoints1 =
| ru_ntupdate =
| years1 = 1996-99
| clubs1 = Glasgow Warriors
| clubs2 = Lyon OU
| apps1 = 8
| points1 = 5
| ru_clubupdate =
| amatyears1 =
| amatteam1 = Glasgow Academicals RFC
| amatteam2 = Stirling County RFC
| amatteam3 = Glasgow Hawks
| ru_amupdate =
| provinceyears1 =
| province1 = Glasgow District
| province2 = Scottish Districts
| provinceapps1 = 9
| provincepoints1 =
| coachteams1 = Glasgow Academicals
| coachyears1 = 2007-8
| repsevensyears1 =
| repsevenscomp1 =
| school = Glasgow Academy
}}
Gordon Mackay (5 April 1969 – 24 July 2008) was a Scottish rugby union player who played for Glasgow, now Glasgow Warriors, at the Flanker position. Normally an openside flanker, Mackay could also play blindside flanker and lock.
Rugby Union career
=Amateur career=
He started his rugby career playing for amateur side Glasgow Academicals.
He was to move from Academicals to Stirling County. He won the Division 1 championship with the club.
During this time with the Glasgow professional side, Mackay also played for the amateur Glasgow Hawks. He won a league and cup double with them in 1997–98.
=Provincial career=
He frequently played for the amateur Glasgow District side and played for a combined Scottish district side against South Africa.
=Professional career=
When the district sides turned professional in 1996, Mackay played for the new Glasgow professional side in its guises as Glasgow Rugby and Glasgow Caledonians. He was to play for the Glasgow side 17 times. He played for Glasgow in their first European match; a European conference match - now European Challenge Cup - against the Welsh side Newbridge RFC.
Mackay then moved to France to play for Lyon OU. However it was there he suffered a neck injury which ended his rugby career.
=International career=
=Coaching career=
Business career
Death
He died at his home in Glasgow with a suspected heart attack on 24 July 2008. Tributes flooded in. Former team-mate and Glasgow captain Gordon Bulloch said that Mackay was one of the best rugby players never to have won a full Scotland cap and another Glasgow team-mate Kenny Logan said that Mackay was one of the few larger than life rugby individuals in the professional era. A tribute match to celebrate his life was played in his honour at Glasgow Academicals and Glasgow Warriors staff Fergus Wallace and Iain Monaghan took part.
References
External links
- [http://www.glasgowwarriors.com/articles/news/005197.php Gordon Mackay]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackay, Gordon}}
Category:Scottish rugby union players
Category:Glasgow Warriors players
Category:Scottish rugby union coaches
Category:Stirling County RFC players
Category:Glasgow Academicals rugby union players
Category:Lyon OU Rugby players
Category:Glasgow Hawks players
Category:Glasgow District (rugby union) players