Ron Yeats was born in Aberdeen on 15 November 1937 and, despite joining his hometown club as a schoolboy, it was Dundee United he signed for as a professional in 1957.
Yeats was bought by Liverpool manager Bill Shankly in 1961 from United for a fee of around £20,000 and was immediately made club captain. Shankly famously journalists “The man is a mountain, go into the dressing room and walk around him”.
After Yeats’s first season, Liverpool gained promotion from the Second Division after eight seasons away from the top flight. They then went on to become 1963–64 Football League Champions and the following season won the 1964–65 FA Cup for the first time, beating Leeds United 2–1 after extra time in the final at Wembley.
The next season Yeats skippered Liverpool to the 1965–66 Football League title again.
As Liverpool struggled to maintain their dominance during the last 60’s, Shankly brought in younger players and Yeats left in 1971.
He joined Tranmere Rovers for three years as player manager, then Staylibridge Celtic and Barrow, before heading to America to play for one season for the Los Angeles Skyhawks in the newly-formed ASL. He then had a short stint as player coach of Santa Barbara Condors before calling time on his career.
In January 2024, Yeats was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He sadly passed away on 6th September, 2024 aged 86.
