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The Rangers Football Club was founded in 1872 at a time when it was not at all unusual for a man to be a member of several clubs in several sports: football players were also athletes, cyclists and oarsmen too. The first open athletics club in Scotland was Clydesdale Harriers, founded in 1885, and right from the start it had many from other sports as members but the connection with Rangers was strongest with several men being founder members of both clubs. The Harriers trained at the Rangers Headquarters at Kinning Park to start with and then moved to Ibrox for training facilities when the football club moved. It was natural therefore that when the Harriers started holding annual sports the initial favoured venue was Ibrox and several big and successful meetings were held there before the first world war with lots of the major stars of the sport from all over Britain being involved in the action. As early as season 1889 there were references to "joint sports with our good friends, the Rangers Football Club". These meetings continued - with the Harriers also being involved in sports meetings at the grounds of Celtic and Partick Thistle - until after 1918. Rangers provided the ground and some financial backing but the Harriers did the organising and if, as was the case on a couple of occasions, there was a slight financial loss, the Rangers covered it.

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The half time events at Old Firm games were well-known and I quote from Iain Duff's book about Ibrox "Temple of Dreams" where the following appears on pp 90 and 91 under the heading "On the right track".

"For more than 70 years the Rangers Sports had been Scotland's leading track and field event, but with the death of Bill Struth the main driving force behind the annual meetings had gone. Declining crowds led to the event finally being scrapped. However in the mid-1960's there was a slight return for athletics to the stadium. There was growing unease among the authorities at the level of trouble on the Scottish terraces, especially at Old Firm games. In an attempt to ease the tension, they came up with various initiatives aimed at diverting the rival fans' attention away from each other. One such idea was to invite prominent athletesto take part in a series of half time races on the cinder track around the pitch.

 

Hugh Barrow, a member of Victoria Park athletics club, was one of the athletes invited to take part., running in a one mile race on the Ibrox track at the 1965 Ne'erday match. It was a bizarre experience. "On the day in question, you were told to report to the primary school on Edmiston Drive where you changed," he said. "Then the athletes warmed up on the training area under the main stand, sharing the arena with the City of Glasgow Mounted Division so you had to be careful. " As soon as the half-time whistle blew the athletes headed off down the tunnel, while the players went on the opposite direction. "When you took to the track, what an atmosphere! Not even an Olympic champion would experience this. You had been cautioned from wearing either blue or green vests - and that was a pity, as my club wore blue and white hoops" He went on,

 

"Time was at a premium so you were on your marks immediately - the gun went - although you could hardly hear it - and you were off, heading round the Copland Road bend. Then came the first surprise, the track was lined with police, sometimes actually on the track, so it became an obstacle race. Then suddenly, halfway up the back straight, a police snatch squad rushed out in front of you across the track, heading for the crowd. When you were on your next lap, the snatch squad were on their way back across the track with a culprit, so you had to swerve to avoid them for a second time. It wasn't exactly made for fast times, however on this occasion I managed a win over my old rival, Ian McCafferty, who went on to greater things including the Olympic 5000m final in Munich.

 

There was no prize money for the winner, "for my endeavours I was presented with a transistor radio by Scot Symon and a cold wash back at the primary school."

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In 1962 Rangers took a 4-0 lead to Sevilla for the 2nd leg in a CWC tie,

 

From The Rangers Football Companion:

 

"The referee had to stop the game 2 minutes from time with Sevilla leading 2-0 because of incidents involving all 22 players after the Spanish centre forward attacked Rangers inside right John Greig."

 

"The spectators showed their disapproval of this by throwing hundreds of cushions onto the field. Rangers casualties included Baxter who was kicked, Greig who was punched, Wilson who was butted and McKinnon who was bitten."

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In 1962 Rangers took a 4-0 lead to Sevilla for the 2nd leg in a CWC tie,

 

From The Rangers Football Companion:

 

"The referee had to stop the game 2 minutes from time with Sevilla leading 2-0 because of incidents involving all 22 players after the Spanish centre forward attacked Rangers inside right John Greig."

 

"The spectators showed their disapproval of this by throwing hundreds of cushions onto the field. Rangers casualties included Baxter who was kicked, Greig who was punched, Wilson who was butted and McKinnon who was bitten."

 

How many casualties were there for those being hit by cushions? ;)

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Back in mid-1872, Queens Park refused to play the recently formed boys club that was Rangers. Correctly, they pointed out we had no ground of our own and did not even possess a football. The Spiders rectified the latter point by selling us a second hand ball for 7 shillings and 6 pence(37.5p), but still refused to take up our invitation for a match.

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Back in mid-1872, Queens Park refused to play the recently formed boys club that was Rangers. Correctly, they pointed out we had no ground of our own and did not even possess a football. The Spiders rectified the latter point by selling us a second hand ball for 7 shillings and 6 pence(37.5p), but still refused to take up our invitation for a match.

 

Maybe we should present them with a ball after the game on Saturday, free of charge and with many thanks.

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