Peter Lorimer

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This article is about the Scottish footballer. For the New Zealand mathematician, see Peter James Lorimer.

Peter Lorimer
Peter Lorimer.jpeg
Lorimer c. 1972
Personal information
Full name Peter Patrick Lorimer
Date of birth (1946-12-14)14 December 1946
Place of birth Dundee, Scotland
Date of death 20 March 2021(2021-03-20) (aged 74)
Height 5 ft 9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m)[1]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1962–1979 Leeds United 450 (151)
1971 → Cape Town City (loan) 6 (8)
1979 Toronto Blizzard 29 (9)
1979–1980 York City 29 (8)
1980 Toronto Blizzard 18 (2)
1981–1983 Vancouver Whitecaps 80 (22)
1983 → UCD (loan) 3 (0)
1983–1985 Leeds United 76 (17)
1985–1986 Whitby Town
1986 Hapoel Haifa
Total 691 (217)
National team
1963 Scotland Amateur 7 (7)
1969–1976 Scotland 21 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Peter Patrick Lorimer (14 December 1946 – 20 March 2021) was a Scottish professional footballer, best known for his time with Leeds United and Scotland during the late 1960s and early 1970s. An attacking midfielder, he was renowned for his powerful strikes from distance. From 1984 to 1985 he was club captain of Leeds, and holds the club record for highest goal scorer with 238 goals in all competitions and youngest-ever player. He has been voted the ninth-greatest Leeds player of all time and into the Greatest Leeds United team of all time.

After retiring as a player, Lorimer became a member of the Leeds board of directors, provided match commentary on BBC Radio Leeds and Yorkshire Radio, and wrote a regular column in the Yorkshire Evening Post. From April 2013 he held the position of club ambassador.[2]

Early life[]

Lorimer was born in Dundee[3] to Janet and Peter Lorimer and was brought up in Broughty Ferry on the edge of the city.[4] He attended Eastern Primary School and later Stobswell Secondary School, where he played for the school's football team.[5][6]

Club career[]

Leeds United[]

After playing junior football in Dundee for Stobswell Boys and Broughty YMCA, Lorimer signed for Leeds United in May 1962 after scoring for the Scotland Schoolboys team in a 4–2 win over England.[5][7] He made his Leeds debut on 29 September 1962 against Southampton, aged 15 years and 289 days, becoming the youngest player to play for the first team.[7][3]

Lorimer came to regular prominence in the 1965–66 season, making 34 League Championship appearances and scoring 19 goals, more than any other player at Leeds United managed that season. A skilful and industrious player who operated best in a drifting position either wide on the right (though not as an orthodox winger – he was more likely to cut in and shoot than stay wide and cross) or behind two main strikers (usually Allan Clarke and Mick Jones), Lorimer was a frequent and often spectacular goalscorer, earning himself several nicknames stemming from his powerful shooting – HotShot and Lash being two of the more prevalent.[8] He became renowned for these strikes, with his shots reaching speeds of up to 90 mph.[9] One penalty kick was recorded at 107 mph.[10]

In the 1966–67 season, Lorimer made his first major headlines when a free-kick equaliser against Chelsea in an FA Cup semi-final was controversially ruled out by referee Ken Burns and retaken, for the Chelsea players had not retreated the necessary 10 yards. Chelsea held on to win the game.[11] In the 1975 European Cup Final, Lorimer scored to give Leeds a 1–0 lead, only for the goal to be controversially disallowed by referee Michel Kitabdjian, with Leeds going on to lose the game.[8] In summer 1971, Lorimer had a short spell on loan at Cape Town City in South Africa.[12] Lorimer left the club in 1979, having scored 219 goals in 616 appearances.[13] During this time he had won two League titles, an FA Cup, a League Cup, a Charity Shield, and two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups.[12][14]

Later career[]

He played for York City and then tried his luck in the North American Soccer League (NASL). Lorimer played for two clubs: the Toronto Blizzard (1979–1980) and the Vancouver Whitecaps (1981–83). In January 1983 he signed for University College Dublin.[15]

Lorimer returned to Leeds United in 1983, aged 37, two seasons after Leeds had fallen into the Football League Second Division.[8] He played under former team-mate Eddie Gray (more than a year his junior) and broke the club's goalscoring record in the process, ending up with 238 goals from 705 appearances until retiring just before his 40th birthday at the end of the 1985–86 season.[8] However, Leeds were still a Second Division team when Lorimer played his final game for them and it would be another four years before they returned to the First Division.[16]

International career[]

Lorimer made his international debut for Scotland against Austria in November 1969.[11] He won 21 caps for Scotland and scored four goals, having played in all three of their matches at the 1974 FIFA World Cup.[17][8] His Scotland career was, however, affected by a ban imposed on him in 1971 after he spent a summer playing for Cape Town City in apartheid-era South Africa.[9]

After playing[]

In his retirement Lorimer ran the Commercial Inn pub in the Holbeck area of the city.[18] Lorimer remained a dedicated spokesman for Leeds United after retirement – he was always one of the first ex-players to whom broadcasters and journalists turned when the club was in the news.[19] He worked as a pundit at games for BBC Radio Leeds and as a columnist for the local paper, the Yorkshire Evening Post.[8] He wrote a column in the club's match programme (his final one being the match against Aston Villa on 27 February 2021) and acted as a summariser for Yorkshire Radio on every Leeds away match.[8]

On 26 February 2021, it was announced that Lorimer had been placed under hospice care due to a long-term illness.[20][21] He died on 20 March 2021, aged 74.[8]

Career statistics[]

Club[]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[22][23][24]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental[a] Other[b][25][26] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Leeds United Second Division 1 0 0 0 0 0 — — 1 0
Second Division 0 0 0 0 1 0 — — 0 0
First Division 1 0 0 0 0 0 — — 1 0
First Division 34 13 2 3 0 0 9 3 — 45 19
First Division 29 9 6 2 2 2 5 1 — 42 14
First Division 37 16 5 2 6 4 12 8 — 60 30
1968–69 First Division 29 9 2 1 3 0 7 3 — 41 13
First Division 39 14 8 2 3 0 7 3 1 0 58 19
First Division 38 12 4 2 1 0 10 5 — 53 19
1971–72 First Division 42 23 7 3 4 2 2 1 — 55 29
First Division 41 15 8 3 5 3 9 2 — 63 23
1973–74 First Division 37 12 5 2 0 0 5 0 — 47 14
1974–75 First Division 36 9 4 0 5 3 8 4 1 0 53 16
First Division 29 10 2 0 2 1 — — 33 11
1976–77 First Division 26 3 2 0 0 0 — — 28 3
1977–78 First Division 28 6 0 0 4 3 — — 32 9
First Division 3 0 0 0 1 0 — — 4 0
Total 450 151 55 20 37 18 74 30 2 0 618 219
Cape Town City (loan) 1971 National Football League 6 8 — — 6 8
Toronto Blizzard 1979 North American Soccer League 29 9 — — 29 9
York City Fourth Division 29 8 — — 29 8
Toronto Blizzard 1980 North American Soccer League 18 2 — — 18 2
Vancouver Whitecaps 1981 North American Soccer League 27 8 — — 27 8
1982 North American Soccer League 28 10 — — 28 10
1983 North American Soccer League 25 4 — — 25 4
Total 80 22 80 22
University College Dublin (loan) 1982–83 League of Ireland 3 0 — — 3 0
Leeds United Second Division 22 4 3 0 0 0 — — 25 4
Second Division 40 9 1 0 3 1 — — 44 10
Second Division 14 4 0 0 2 0 — 2 1 18 5
Total 76 17 4 0 5 1 0 0 2 1 80 22
Career total 691 217 59 20 42 19 74 30 4 1 870 287
  1. ^ Includes matches in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, European Cup, European Cup Winners' Cup, and UEFA Cup competitions.
  2. ^ Includes matches in FA Charity Shield and Full Members' Cup competitions.

International[]

Appearances and goals by national team and year[23][27]
National team Year Apps Goals
Scotland 1969 1 0
1971 2 0
1972 5 3
1973 3 0
1974 7 1
1975 3 0
Total 21 4
Scores and results list Scotland goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Scotland goal.
List of international goals scored by Peter Lorimer[27][28]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 20 May 1972 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland  Northern Ireland 2–0 2–0 1971–72 British Home Championship
2 24 May 1972 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland  Wales 1–0 1–0 1971–72 British Home Championship
3 15 November 1972 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland  Denmark 2–0 2–0 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification
4 14 June 1974 Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany  Zaire 1–0 2–0 1974 FIFA World Cup

Honours[]

Leeds United[8][14]

Individual

References[]

  1. ^ Butler, Frank; Collins, Patrick (1973). News of the World Football Annual 1973–74. London. p. 274.
  2. ^ "Leeds United legend Lorimer appointed club ambassador". Yorkshire Evening Post. 26 April 2013. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Rayner, Stuart (20 March 2021). "Peter Lorimer, Leeds United's record goalscorer, has died". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  4. ^ Mason, Peter (20 March 2021). "Peter Lorimer obituary". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Strachan, Graeme (20 March 2021). "Peter Lorimer: The Dundee boy who overcame homesickness to become a Leeds legend". The Courier. Dundee. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  6. ^ Brown, John (6 June 2020). "BLETHER: Dundee Primary Schools Select, plea from Down Under to find boxing pal and World Cup winners who played on Dundee Violet's pitch". Evening Telegraph. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Mewis, Joe (20 March 2021). "Leeds United legend Peter Lorimer has died, aged 74". LeedsLive. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i "Peter Lorimer: Leeds United's record goalscorer dies aged 74". BBC Sport. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Taylor, Louise (20 March 2021). "Peter Lorimer: a Leeds legend who had dynamite in his boots". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  10. ^ Lorimer, Peter; Rostron, Phil (9 September 2002). Peter Lorimer: Leeds and Scotland hero. Edinburgh: Mainstream. ISBN 1-84018-612-7. OCLC 51194080.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b McNulty, Phil (20 March 2021). "Peter Lorimer obituary: An 'explosive and influential member of the greatest Leeds side in history'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i "Peter Lorimer: a career in words". Leeds United FC. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  13. ^ "RIP Peter Lorimer". leedsunited.com. Leeds United F.C. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b "Peter Lorimer 1946–2021". efl.com. English Football League. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  15. ^ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1983/0117/Pg003.html#Ar00309
  16. ^ "Football photographic encyclopedia, footballer, world cup, champions league, football championship, olympic games & hero images by sporting-heroes.net". www.sporting-heroes.net.
  17. ^ Smyth, Graham (20 March 2021). "Peter Lorimer obituary: Leeds United's record scorer with one of hardest shots in football who won it all". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  18. ^ "Leeds United legend Don Revie showed his eye for detail long before Marcelo Bielsa". The Yorkshire Post. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  19. ^ "Peter Lorimer: Leeds United's all-time record goalscorer dies aged 74 following a long-term illness". Eurosport. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  20. ^ "Leeds United's record goalscorer Peter Lorimer in hospice as he battles illness". The Athletic. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  21. ^ Doyle, Tom (27 February 2021). "Peter Lorimer: Leeds United legend receiving hospice care due to long-term illness". Evening Standard. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  22. ^ Jarred, Martin; MacDonald, Malcolm (1986). Leeds United: a complete record, 1919–1986. Derby: Breedon Books Sport. p. 332. ISBN 0-907969-17-8. OCLC 20934819.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b "Peter Lorimer". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  24. ^ "Lorimer: Peter Patrick". www.ozwhitelufc.net.au. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  25. ^ "The Definitive History of Leeds United - Matches - 2 August 1969 - Leeds United 2 Man City 1". www.mightyleeds.co.uk. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  26. ^ "The Definitive History of Leeds United - Matches - 10 August 1974 - Liverpool 1 Leeds United 1". www.mightyleeds.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  27. ^ Jump up to: a b "Peter Lorimer". scottishfa.co.uk. Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  28. ^ Brown, Alan; Tossani, Gabriele. "Scotland – International Matches 1971–1975". rsssf.com. Rec.Sports.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  29. ^ Mewis, Joe (29 April 2019). "Every Leeds United Player of the Season winner since award was first handed out in 1970". Leeds Live. Retrieved 4 November 2020.

External links[]

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