Lawrie Reilly
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lawrance Reilly | ||
| Date of birth | 28 October 1928 | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 22 July 2013 (aged 84) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1946–1958 | Hibernian | 253 | (185) |
| National team | |||
| 1948–1957 | Scotland | 38 | (22) |
| 1948–1956 | Scottish League XI | 14 | (14) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Lawrance "Lawrie" Reilly (28 October 1928 – 22 July 2013) was a Scottish football player. He was one of the "Famous Five", the Hibernian forward line during the late 1940s and early 1950s, along with Bobby Johnstone, Gordon Smith, Eddie Turnbull, and Willie Ormond. Reilly is rated amongst the top forwards in Scottish football history and was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
Reilly joined Hibs in 1946, despite interest from their city rivals Hearts. He quickly established himself in the Hibernian team, scoring his first goal against Queen of the South. He netted the first of 18 hat-tricks for Hibs in 1947, also against Queen of the South. He made his league debut as a 17-year-old in the 1946–47 season. Reilly was a fringe player in the 1947–48 season as Hibs won the league championship, playing in insufficient games to earn a winners' medal. It was reported that Reilly and Johnny Aitkenhead might be loaned to Edinburgh derby rivals Hearts, who were battling against relegation that season.
Reilly became a first team regular during the following season, after Willie Ormond suffered a broken leg. He earned his first selection for Scotland that season, playing and scoring in a 3–1 win against England at Wembley. Later that year, the Famous Five were fielded together in a match for the first time. The forward line were used regularly for the first time during the 1949–50 season. The team earned 49 league points, more than in their championship-winning seasons, but lost out on the championship that season by a single point to Rangers. That season also provided a major disappointment in Reilly's international career, as Scotland qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, but the SFA refused to send the team to Brazil because they had failed to win the 1950 British Home Championship.
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