Billy McPhail
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William S. McPhail | ||
| Date of birth | 2 February 1928 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 4 April 2003 (aged 75) | ||
| Place of death | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Playing position | centre forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1941–1947 | Queen's Park | 12 | (2) |
| 1947–1956 | Clyde | 137 | (90) |
| 1956–1958 | Celtic | 33 | (13) |
| National team | |||
| 1952 | Scottish League Two XI | 1 | (3) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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William "Billy" S. McPhail (2 February 1928 – 4 April 2003) was a Scottish football player who played for Celtic, Clyde and Queen's Park. He scored three goals in Celtic's record 7–1 victory over Rangers in the 1957 Scottish League Cup Final. After retiring, he developed a neurodegenerative disease, which he believed to be a result of brain damage acquired from heading footballs. He was the younger brother of John McPhail.
McPhail's 17-year playing career began when he signed for Queen's Park in 1941. He was a centre forward and soon earned the nickname "Teazy Weazy." He was, according to football historian Bob Crampsey, "an extremely graceful player... a particularly good header of a ball" He was then sold to Clyde in 1947, but his career was interrupted with recurring injuries. He had an excellent scoring record whilst at Clyde, scoring 90 goals in 137 league games.
In May 1956 he signed for Celtic, the team his elder brother, John had previously captained. He made his debut in a 2–1 Scottish League Cup win against Aberdeen. Later that season, McPhail scored twice in the League Cup final, helping Celtic lift the trophy for the first time. The following year McPhail starred in the Celtic team that played fierce Old Firm rivals, Rangers in the final of the same competition. The match, referred to by Celtic fans in poem and song as "Hampden in the sun", resulted in a record 7–1 victory to Celtic, with McPhail scoring a hat-trick of goals.
A knee and ankle injury forced McPhail to retire the following year, after just two seasons with Celtic. He played just 57 games in all competitions for Celtic, however he is widely described as a "hero" or "idol" for his three goals in the 1957 Cup final. John McPhail also scored three goals against Rangers, in the 1950 Glasgow Merchants' Charity Cup. This is the only occasion in Old Firm history that brothers have achieved this feat.
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