After Dinner Speaker and Footballing Legend
Gordon Smith is the former Chief Executive of the Scottish Football Association which he joined in 2007. As an ex-footballing after-dinner speaker, Gordon Smith tells story after story which contain a hilarious mixture of his life as a footballer and broadcaster.
He has been a football analyst for BBC Radio Scotland and BBC TV as well as five years on Scotland Match of the Day. As a footballer, he played for most of his career at Ibrox Park with Glasgow Rangers. Until his position with the SFA Gordon was also a columnist with the Scottish Daily Mirror newspaper.
Previously a professional footballer for 17 years having played with Kilmarnock, Rangers, Brighton & Hove Albion. Manchester City and Oldham as well as playing abroad in Austria and Switzerland.
Gordon made his professional debut at 17 and was transferred to Rangers in 1977 for £65,000.
At Rangers Gordon Smith won the domestic treble in 1978, was transferred for a club record fee of 440,000 in 1980 and in 1998 was voted in the 100 Best Rangers Players of all time. At Brighton Gordon played in the 1983 FA Cup Final at Wembley against Manchester Utd, scoring the 1st goal in a 2-2 draw but missing a chance to win the cup for his club. Brighton lost the replay and Gordon became famous for the miss.
Gordon retired from playing in 1988 and became an Independent Financial Adviser for a London based firm. Apart from two and a half years at St Mirren as assistant manager between 1990 and 1993, he continued in this roll until he became a football agent in 1997.
Gordon Smith is married and has a son, who is a professional footballer with Bristol City FC and two daughters. The elder has recently graduated from University with Honours and the younger has just been accepted on a full-time course at The Glasgow Academy of Musical Theatre and Arts.