Walter Bruce (Scottish footballer)

{{short description|Scottish footballer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name= Walter Bruce

| image=

| fullname=

| height=

| position= Centre half

| birth_date= 29 November 1873[https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/record-results?search_type=people&dl_cat=statutory&dl_rec=statutory-births&surname=bruce&surname_so=exact&forename=walter&forename_so=starts&from_year=1870&to_year=1880&county=DUNBARTON&record_type=stat_births Statutory registers - Births - Search results], ScotlandsPeople

| birth_place= Bonhill, Scotland

| death_date= {{death date and age|1941|02|01|1873|11|29|df=y}}[https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/record-results?search_type=people&dl_cat=statutory&dl_rec=statutory-deaths&surname=bruce&surname_so=exact&forename=walter&forename_so=starts&other_surname_so=exact&mmsurname_so=exact&from_year=1940&to_year=1942&birth_year=1873&birth_year_range=1&record_type=stat_deaths Statutory registers - Deaths - Search results], ScotlandsPeople

| death_place= Glasgow, Scotland

| youthyears1=

| youthclubs1= Bonhill Rovers

| years1= 1891–1895

| clubs1= Vale of Leven

| caps1= | goals1=

| years2= 1895–1898

| clubs2= Renton

| caps2= 33 | goals2= 1

| years3= 1898–1906

| clubs3= St Mirren

| caps3= 116 | goals3= 10

| years4 = –

| clubs4=

| caps4= | goals4=

| totalcaps= 149 | totalgoals = 11

| nationalyears1= 1902–1903

| nationalteam1= Scottish League XI

| nationalcaps1= 2

| nationalgoals1= 0

}}

Walter Bruce (29 November 1873 – 1 February 1941) was a Scottish footballer who played for Vale of Leven, Renton and St Mirren as a centre half.[http://www.valeofleven.org.uk/valefootballers.html#wattiebruce Senior Football Players from the Vale of Leven in the 20th Century {{!}} Bruce, Walter (Half back, best known as a Centre Half: Vale of Leven, St Mirren; senior career c 1893 – 1908).], The Vale of Leven{{cite magazine|title=A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players|author=John Litster|magazine=Scottish Football Historian magazine|date=October 2012}} His elder brother Daniel was also a footballer who won the English FA Cup with Notts County in 1894 and later played for St Mirren, possibly being involved in Walter's move there in 1898 after Renton resigned from the Scottish Football League earlier that season.

He never took part in a major final, reaching the semi-final stage of the Scottish Cup once with Renton (in 1896) and three times with St Mirren (1898, 1900, 1901).[https://www.londonhearts.com/scores/images/1905/1905081988.htm Famous Players. {{!}} Walter Bruce, St Mirren F.C.] The Scottish Referee, 21 August 1905. Scan via London Hearts Supporters Club He did win the Dumbartonshire Cup with Renton in 1896[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=I_tfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-7EMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3967%2C6501291 The Association Game. {{!}} Renton v. Dumbarton–Dumbartonshire Cup Final], The Glasgow Herald, 16 March 1896 and played in the 1903 Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup final which St Mirren lost 5–2 to Celtic.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_tlAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TaYMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2117%2C5443533 Football. {{!}} Charity Cup Final.], The Glasgow Herald, 25 May 1903 From the next season, he lost his regular place in the Buddies side to Robert Robertson. He made 140 appearances for the Paisley team in the two major competitions and scored 13 goals.[http://www.stmirren.info/id84.html Player profiles B], StMirren.info

Bruce was selected for the Scottish Football League XI in 1902 and 1903, facing the Irish League XI on both occasions.[https://www.londonhearts.com/SFL/players/walterbruce.html (SFL player) Walter Bruce)], London Hearts Supporters Club[http://www.stmirren.info/id73.html Scottish League Internationalists], StMirren.info

He continued to live in his birthplace of Bonhill and worked in the Singer Corporation sewing machine factory in Clydebank until his death in 1941.