Big Frank, as he
was universally known, was one of Kilmarnock’s
longest-serving players. To supporters he was the
best-loved player of
his
generation and perhaps of all time. In a one-club career
encompassing nineteen years he made a then record for
the club of 422 league appearances, a total surpassed
since only by Alan Robertson.
He was the first Kilmarnock player to appear 600 times
for the club in first class outings (again, only
Robertson has bettered Beattie’s total of 602) and his
League Cup figure of 80 will probably never be beaten.
In addition to skippering Killie to their greatest-ever
achievement in winning the title he played in the losing
side in three Cup Finals, the Scottish Cup of 1960 and
the League Cup in 1960-61 & 1962-63. He was also capped
by the Scottish League and his 48 goals for Killie means
he lies just outside the club’s top thirty all-time
scorers.
Francis Whitfield Beattie was born in St Ninian’s in
Stirling on October 17th 1933. He played schools
football for St Modan’s (a few years ahead of Billy
Bremner), juvenile football with Dunipace & Cowie and
then moved on to Bonnybridge Juniors. He spent just six
weeks in the junior ranks before signing for Kilmarnock
in October 1953.
Early in his career Frank was an inside-left and like so
many players of that time he was also a part-timer. By
day he was a coal miner, working in the pit at Plean
until 2.30 pm then going to his father’s in Larbert for
lunch before catching a train to Kilmarnock for
training. This was a punishing travelling schedule of
over 500 miles per week that Frank maintained throughout
his career.
Playing in the reserves in the promotion-winning season
of 1953-54, Frank made his first team debut away to St
Mirren in the League Cup the following season. Although
playing out of position at inside-right he marked his
debut with a goal though Killie lost 3-2. One day short
of a year since his first reserve appearance Frank made
his Scottish League debut on October 9th 1954 at Rugby
Park against Partick Thistle. Like the League Cup he
scored on his debut – the first home goal scored in
Scottish football’s top flight by a Kilmarnock player
since April 1947 – but also like the League Cup the
match ended in defeat – by 2-1.
By
the middle of 1955-56 Frank had established himself as
the regular inside-left and he took part in some notable
victories, including against both the Old Firm (he
played in the last Killie team to win at Parkhead in
December 1955) and scoring the only goal of the game in
a Scottish Cup tie against Ayr United.
At first the arrival of
Willie
Waddell as manager in 1957 seemed to make little
difference to Frank who was viewed as one of those
versatile players who could be moved around to make way
for others. But he still made his mark, scoring twice at
Ibrox as Killie beat Rangers 4-3 in the league.
His move to the half-back line where he was to make his
reputation came about by accident. Waddell wanted to
improve a lacklustre forward line by moving right-half
Rab Stewart into attack. Frank replaced Stewart and
after five years as an inside-forward never played as an
attacker for Killie again
In
his first full season as a half-back Frank played in a
team which finished runners-up in the league, were
beaten finalists in the Scottish Cup and represented
Scotland in an international tournament in New York
where they beat Bayern Munich and English champions
Burnley before losing to Brazilians Bangu in the final.
Killie
reached the League Cup Final in 1960-61 but lost again
to Rangers in the final. They finished runners-up in the
league again, missing out by a single point. At times
that season Frank had played at left-half as well as on
the right and when Bobby Kennedy was transferred to
Manchester City the number six shirt became his own.
It was at right-half though that he made his only
international representative appearance when he played
for the Scottish League in a 1-1 draw with the League of
Ireland at Dalymount Park in September 1961.
Frank Beattie was dreadfully unlucky when it came to the
international scene. Injury had forced him to withdraw
from the Under-23’s early in his career and at his peak
he found himself a contemporary of Pat Crerand & Bobby
Murdoch on the right side of midfield and Dave Mackay
and Jim Baxter on the left.
The
most controversial incident of his career came on
October 27th 1962 in the League Cup Final v Hearts.
With just thirty seconds to go and Killie trailing 1-0
Frank headed in what he – and everyone else in the
ground bar one – thought was the equaliser.
Unfortunately the lone dissenter was referee ‘Tiny’
Wharton who ruled out the strike for ‘handball.’
Wharton’s actions only helped cement Frank’s legendary
status at Rugby Park. Playing in every one of the club’s
52 competitive games that season he won the supporters’
Player of the Year Award. Frank had already turned
thirty before becoming club captain in November 1963 and
he led to the side to what was their fourth runners-up
position in five seasons in the league.
The next season was of course Kilmarnock’s
annus mirabilis
and team-mate (and Killie legend in his own right) Davie
Sneddon was in no doubt as to who epitomised the spirit
of the team: “Frank
Beattie was a legend in his own time. As a man he was a
gem, as straight as a die. As a team-mate he was great
to have behind you, a rock. He was a real leader. He was
the captain all over the field yet never neglected his
job of marshalling the defence.”
Frank led Killie on their European debut when they
rallied from four goals behind to beat
Eintracht Frankfurt in the Fairs Cup. And Frank was
the skipper too on that unforgettable afternoon at
Tynecastle on
the final day of the season on April 24th 1965 when
Kilmarnock beat Hearts by 2-0 to leapfrog the home team
at the top of the table and take the title by 0.04 of a
goal. It was Frank who hoisted the League Championship
trophy as it came to Ayrshire for the first time and
Killie won their first major honour for 36 years.
Frank
led Killie into the European Cup the next season,
experiencing a nightmare journey to Albania which
involved two changes of plane with one of them being
struck by lightning. The match itself was played in the
oppressive heat of midday but Frank shrugged it off
claiming: “It’s not as
hot as when we played in New York. We’ll be fine.”
And they were. Victory in that tie brought Real Madrid
to Rugby Park in the next round and the chance to play
in the Bernabeu against Puskas & Gento – a far cry from
the reserve matches in the ‘C’ Division in which Frank
had started out.
1966-67 was Kilmarnock’s best in Europe and Frank led
the side to the
Fairs Cup semi-finals where they were beaten by
Leeds United.
Frank Beattie was a man who liked to put something back
into the game and that was demonstrated in 1968 and 1969
when he coached Cambusbarron Rovers to victory in two
successive Scottish Amateur Cups. By then his career was
winding down but he was still an important part of the
team as the 1960s reached their end. Frank had played 17
games in 1969-70, including five in Europe and had
broken Mattha’ Smith’s 38-year-old club appearance
record when he lined up for the last match of the
decade, at Celtic Park on December 20th 1969.
After
just fifteen minutes Frank and Jimmy Johnstone both
chased after a loose ball and collided. The crack was
heard all over the ground as Frank lay motionless on the
pitch with his face twisted in agony. So bad did it look
that Jock Stein left the dugout to accompany the
stretcher to the ambulance. Frank’s right leg was broken
and at 36 it seemed his career was over.
But miners are a hardy breed and Frank Beattie was
determined to come back. It was a long hard journey,
complicated by illness, and it was sixteen months before
he played again, in April 1971, for the reserves v
Clyde. A crowd of 1,390 turned up at Rugby Park, more
than watched some Clyde first team fixtures.
The
end of the season brought a long overdue and well
deserved testimonial match v Celtic. The visitors had
just won the Scottish Cup two nights previously but Jock
Stein brought a strong selection down as well as the
trophy itself. A crowd of 8,727 turned up to see a
Killie side augmented by guest stars Willie Johnston and
Colin Stein from Rangers, Alex Ingram of Ayr United and
ex-Killie heroes Gerry Queen
and Bobby Kennedy. But while the occasion was Frank’s,
the night belonged to an unknown youngster in the Celtic
line-up called Dalglish who scored six times in a 7-2
win for the guests.
Amazingly, Frank returned to first team action close to
his 38th birthday and almost two years after the leg
break. He brought back memories of his early days with a
stunning 25-yard strike at Easter Road in the League
Cup. On August 28th 1971 he made his last appearance at
Rugby Park as Killie beat Dundee United 4-2 and his
final first team appearance came in a 3-0 defeat at
Motherwell three weeks later. At the end of 1971-72
Frank departed Rugby Park as the club’s longest-serving
post-war player – a title that remains to this day.
He had brief spells in management at Albion Rovers and
Stirling Albion, including
one memorable game with the latter when they stood
(unsuccessfully) between Killie and promotion.
It wasn’t just the glory of skippering Killie to the
title that turned Frank Beattie into a Kilmarnock
legend. Nor was it the heartbreak of a late career leg
break or the injustice of being deprived of a Cup Final
equaliser. It was also the dedication of a man prepared
to make that trek from Stirlingshire every day, a man
who in his younger days thought nothing about putting in
a full shift down the mine then playing football
afterwards. It was also the sheer consistency of
performance allied to that dedication that made Frank
Beattie such a hero to Kilmarnock supporters.
Sadly, Frank didn’t enjoy good health for some time
prior to his death but on those occasions when he was
able to attend football he was still immaculately turned
out and still the centre of attention for the fans no
matter how many other ex-players may have been around.
For Kilmarnock supporters, even those too young to have
seen him play, he remained ‘Big Frank.’ When that name
was ever bandied around in Killie company, nobody, no
matter how young, ever had to ask
“Big Frank Who?”
1998 Frank Beattie
Interview
The name
Francis Whitfield Beattie is revered by supporters of
K.F.C. Frank was an inspirational player who could turn
a match through his own endeavours. He was skillful,
uncompromising in the tackle and strong in the air.
Mention of his name evokes memories of a golden era in
the history of Kilmarnock F.C. He was kind enough
recently, to share some of his memories with us…
How did it all begin?
I
always loved kicking a ball about in the streets of the
mining
village
of Plean, where I was born. My uncle bought me a proper
leather football when I was very young and used to play
with me. My earliest memories of organised football are
of playing outside right in St Modan's school team which
was very successful. I played with Dunipace Thistle for
2 years, then Bonnybridge Juniors. I had been there for
only 6 weeks in 1953, when I was asked to have a trial
with Killie. The match was against East Stirling and I
must have done quite well because Malky McDonald signed
me straight afterwards. For a number of years up until
the age of 26, I played part time with Kilmarnock. My
main job was as a miner. On two days of the week, I left
for work at 6am, worked down the mine from 7am until
2.30pm and then went to my father's house for dinner. I
took the train from Larbert to St Enoch and on to
Kilmarnock for training. I would not arrive home again
until 12.30 or 1 o' clock in the morning. It was a long
day with a lot of travelling, but I loved the game. I
eventually became a full-time professional in 1960.
The
golden era at Killie?
Willie Waddell's arrival signalled great changes at
Rugby Park and I felt that he and I had a good rapport.
We had a great bunch of guys then too. A lot of harmony
and team spirit was created by the trips made to the
United States to play in the invitation tournaments, and
by playing top continental teams.
Willie Waddell
Willie Waddell put a
very good team together and we came so close to major
honours on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, we always
seemed to come out second best. We were definitely the
most consistent team in the country in the early 1960's
and if you keep knocking at the door, eventually you
will get in. We finally
made it in 1965, but it wasn't until
Davie Sneddon scored with
his head in the final match versus Hearts that I knew we
were going to win the Championship.(More
HERE)
I recall leaving my wife at home that day as she was
expecting our 2nd daughter. When the final whistle went
I remember the mad figure of Willie Waddell running onto
the park to give us a big hug. It has been said that I
should have won the 'Player Of The Year' that season,
but it went to Billy McNeill instead. It was just one of
those things, but an 'old firm' player winning the
honour would obviously sell more newspapers.
The
championship was only one of the highlights of my 19
years with Killie. There were also the great European
encounters. Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity of
playing against Real Madrid because of injury, but there
was the
Eintracht Frankfurt game! I didn't enjoy all the
travelling abroad, but the games themselves were
marvellous to play in. There were some adventures too,
such as going to Albania. It was a lovely country, but
very poor and it was impossible to spend your money
there.
There are many other memorable moments
on the home front too, such as a Killie versus Falkirk
match when I scored twice in a 3-0 victory. I also
remember a semi-final against Rangers when we lost 6-4,
but I had a good game. I broke my leg in a match against
Celtic in December 1969 and didn't play again for a
year. My Killie career came to an end when I was given a
free transfer at the ripe old age of 39. I would like to
be remembered as a dedicated professional who always
gave of his best - 100% plus in every game.
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