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Fullname: John James Campbell
aka: Johnny Campbell, John Campbell
Born: 19 August 1872*
Died: 2 December 1947
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland
Signed: April 1890; 1 May 1897
Left: May 1895 (to Aston Villa); 22 August 1903 (to Third Lanark)
Position: Forward, Striker
Debut: Celtic 7-1 Battlefield, Glasgow Cup, 20 Sep 1890
Internationals: Scotland / Scottish League
International Caps: 12 Caps / 5
International Goals: 4 goals / 3
*Confirmed by CGS forum check.
Biog
A wonderfully gifted and clever forward Johnny Campbell signed for the Bhoys from Benburb in the spring of 1890 and made his debut in a Glasgow Cup tie at Parkhead when Celtic defeated Battlefield 7-1 on September 20th.
He started off strongly and in 1891 he reputedly scored 12 goals in a single Celtic reserve game but this is disputed. Coupling bravery and skill he originally played on the left wing and forged a memorable partnership on the flank with Sandy McMahon.
Johnny Campbell was part of the Celtic team which lifted the Scottish Cup for the first time in 1892 (scoring two of the goals in a 5-1 win) and was integral to the League Championship triumphs of 1893 and 1894.
After one raucous match v Abercorn, when a riot occurred (11th Feb 1893), Johnny Campbell knocked three teeth out of a Paisley fan’s mouth! The police brought the man in who wrongly identified Jerry Reynolds as the culprit! Crazy.
He was then surprisingly sold to Aston Villa in 1895 (something that Willie Maley described as “through the stupid action of a very prominent committee man“) and he helped the Birmingham side claim a League and FA Cup double in season 1896-1897 (and was the first scorer of a goal at Villa Park) before gladly returning to Celtic Park that summer for his second spell with the Bhoys. It wasn’t his only landmark in England. As well as scoring the first goal at Villa Park, he also scored the first goal at St James Park (Newcastle United’s ground) on 3rd September 1892. Celtic won 1-0 and 6,000 watched the game.
Having paid Johnny Campbell the then astronomical signing on fee of £70 the player made sure he provided value for money and his wonderful talent and goals soon brought more glory back to the east end of Glasgow with a League title in 1898 and the Scottish Cup in 1899 and 1900.
A huge favourite with the support Johnny Campbell eventually left Celtic for Third Lanark in 1903, helping them to a league title in his first season. He even scored the winner for them in the Glasgow Cup final reply, a 1-0 win in November 1903. Coincidentally the first match ended 1-1 with the Third Lanark goal also scored by an ex-Celt, John Neilson.
In his two spells at Celtic he scored an impressive 109 goals in 215 league and Scottish Cup appearances although his contribution to Celtic’s success should not be measured in goals alone.
As a Celt, Johnny Campbell won three league championships, three Scottish Cups and 12 caps for Scotland. He even captained Scotland v Wales in 1902. An incredible mass of honours for any player from the period.
In his first-class career in Scotland and England he scored a phenomenal 141 goals in 264 games.
He holds some interesting records: first man to be sued for ‘palimony‘ (and lose) and the one and only ex-Celt to win the Scottish Cup with Third Lanark.
He retired from football in April 1906.
Overall, he is unquestionably a Celtic great but in addition importantly he is one of the first true greats of the entire history of the game.
He passed away in 1947.
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES | LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 1890-95, 1897-1903 | 169 | 46 | n/a | n/a | 215 |
| Goals: | 87 | 22 | – | – | 109 |
Major Honours With Celtic
Scottish League
Scottish Cup
Pictures
Links
Notes
- Some articles claim that he once scored 12 goals in a Celtic reserve game. If only that were true, but there is no evidence to confirm this. From the records of the respective matches, it appears he didn’t even play in those respective matches.
- Birthdate of 19 Aug 1872 confirmed by a check by Celtic historians on CGS forum.
Articles
Birth Records 1872
Johnny Campbell
https://spartacus-educational.com/ASTONcampbell.htm
John Campbell was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in September 1871. A prolific goalscorer in local football, Campbell joined Celtic in May 1890.
In 1891 he scored 12 goals in a Celtic reserve game. The following year he was a member of the team that beat Queen’s Park, 5-1 in the 1882 Scottish Cup Final. Campbell scored two of the goals in the match.
Campbell won his first international cap for Scotland against Ireland on 25th March, 1893. Scotland won the game 5-1. The following month he was in the Scotland team that lost 5-2 to England.
In May 1895 Campbell joined Aston Villa. Campbell became a member of a forward line that included John Devey, Dennis Hodgetts, Charlie Athersmith, John Cowan and Stephen Smith.
Aston Villa won the First Division title in 1895-96. Campbell ended up top scorer with 26 goals. As Philip Gibbons pointed out in Association Football in Victorian England: “Aston Villa had twice won the League Championship, as well as the FA Cup, during the three previous seasons, with a team generally acknowledged as the finest in the land.”
Aston Villa also won the First Division title in 1896-97. Second-place Sheffield United finished an amazing 11 points behind Villa. The club scored 73 goals in the league that season. Johnny Campbell scored 13 goals in 29 games.
On 30th January, 1897, Aston Villa beat Newcastle United 5-0 in the third round of the FA Cup. Aston Villa went onto beat Notts County (2-0), Preston North End (3-2) and Liverpool (3-0) to reach the final against Everton. A crowd of 60,000 arrived at Crystal Palace to watch the final. Charlie Athersmith scored the opening goal but Everton hit back with goals from Jack Bell and Richard Boyle. Aston Villa continued to dominate the game and added two more from George Wheldon and Jimmy Crabtree. That finished the scoring and therefore Aston Villa had emulated the great Preston North End side that had achieved the FA Cup and Football League double in 1888-89 season.
In August 1897 Campbell decided to return to Celtic. In the 1898-99 season Campbell helped his club to win the Scottish League. Campbell’s form for his club enabled him to win back his place in the Scotland team in 1898. He played against Ireland (3-0) and England (1-3). Campbell failed to score in both these games and he was dropped again.
Campbell was also recalled to the national team and on 3rd March 1900, he scored two goals in Scotland’s 3-0 win over Ireland. The following month he was a member of the team beat England 4-1.
By the time Campbell left Celtic to play for Third Lanark in August 1903 he had scored over 100 goals for the club. Campbell helped his new club win the Scottish League in the 1903-04 season.
Campbell retired from football in April 1906. In his first-class career in Scotland and England he had scored 141 goals in 264 games.
John Campbell died in Scotland in December 1947.
By John Simkin (john@spartacus-educational.com) © September 1997 (updated August 2014).