Billy Steel
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Steel | ||
| Date of birth | 1 May 1923 | ||
| Place of birth | Denny, Stirlingshire, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 13 May 1982 (aged 59) | ||
| Place of death | Lancaster, California, United States | ||
| Playing position | Inside-left | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1939–1942 | St Mirren | 0 | (0) |
| 1942–1947 | Morton | 9 | (2) |
| 1947–1950 | Derby County | 109 | (27) |
| 1950–1954 | Dundee | 94 | (27) |
| National team | |||
| 1947–1952 | Scottish League XI | 4 | (2) |
| 1947–1953 | Scotland | 30 | (12) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Billy Steel (1 May 1923 – 13 May 1982) was a Scottish footballer who played for St Mirren, Morton, Derby County, Dundee and the Scotland national team.
One of Scotland's greatest inside forwards, Billy Steel combined a brilliant footballing brain with a busy work ethic and explosive shot. Billy was the subject of two record transfer fees during his career. As well as receiving 30 caps for Scotland, Steel made four appearances with the Scottish League, was a Scottish Cup finalist in 1952, and was a Scottish League Cup winner in 1952 and 1953. He scored a memorable goal for a Great Britain XI against the Rest of Europe in 1947. He was inducted into Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
While still contracted to Morton, Billy Steel played for the British Army of the Rhine, (BAOR) who, in 1944 to 1946, were re-establishing footballing connections with other teams on the Continent. The team "visited" France, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, the Channel Islands and Germany, and Steel played along with such notables as Leslie Compton, Eddie Hapgood, and Matt Busby. Demobbed in December 1946 he returned to Morton.
His £15,500 transfer from Morton to Derby County in 1947 was a then British transfer record. Billy was not always popular at the Baseball Ground especially among his fellow professionals. One dressing room incident ended in Billy being threatened with being hung on a cloakroom peg by a member of his own team!
Players often accused Steel of saving his best performances for when the Rams travelled down to play the London teams. He was further disliked for his "moonlighting", though in the days of the maximum wage for footballers he could hardly be blamed. But he received payments for articles that he wrote for several newspapers, enabling him to have a more luxurious life style than his teammates.
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