Life changed forever for Paul Sturrock when he signed for Dundee United at Perth Ice Rink in 1974 on wages of £3 a week.
He joined a small band of players and an ambitious manager at Tannadice.
Together with Jim McLean, they reached the peak of footballing achievement.
League, cup and European success put Dundee United on the map and Sturrock’s 171 goals in 575 appearances contributed to memories the fans hold dear.
Sturrock — affectionately known as Luggy — looks back at his life and incredible career in the latest episode of BBC Scotland’s Icons of Football series on Friday.
To mark the broadcast, we have taken a look at some of the defining images of his footballing, life which included winning three major trophies with the Tangerines.
The start of a tangerine love affair
Sturrock grew up in Perthshire and the Pitlochry High pupil played for Grandtully Vale, Vale of Atholl and Bankfoot Athletic at 16 before trials with Morton and St Johnstone.
He began his apprenticeship with Dundee United in 1974, aged 17, after Bankfoot manager Chic McNaughton asked if he could go to Perth Ice Rink to meet Jim McLean.
Sturrock left school on the Friday and embarked on pre-season training on the Monday while staying in digs, with future United captain Paul Hegarty as his first room-mate.
He made his United debut at Tannadice in September 1974 against Jiul Petroșani from Romania in the European Cup Winners’ Cup when he replaced Doug Houston.
Sturrock scored his first two senior goals in a 2-2 draw against Rangers at Tannadice in April 1975 and played more games in 1975/76 following the departure of Andy Gray.
He became the club’s top scorer with 17 goals in 43 appearances in 1976/77, before success in the League Cup in 1979 kicked off the glory years for McLean’s United.
The first major trophy in the club’s history was lifted on December 12 1979 at Dens Park thanks to a replay win over Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen.
Two goals from Willie Pettigrew and one from Sturrock gave the fans the silverware they had waited so long for and confirmed the manager’s credentials.
A year later, and back at Dens after a coin toss decided the venue, the trophy was successfully defended with another 3-0 win, this time over city rivals Dundee.
After the Dark Blues had a goal from Eric Sinclair chalked off for a foul, Davie Dodds put the Tangerines ahead right before half-time with a header from Sturrock’s cross.
Sturrock then pounced twice for United following two Paul Hegarty headers, the first hitting the bar and the second parried by keeper Bobby Geddes.
Dens was to be the scene of United’s greatest triumph three years later when an inspired season was crowned with a 2-1 final-day derby success to claim the Premier League championship, and with it legendary status for McLean and his players.
A hamstring injury forced Sturrock off on 75 minutes and left him in agony, although the referee’s whistle led to a temporary recovery and an iconic photograph at full-time.
He said: “There’s a picture of me sprinting out of the dugout.
“It was pure adrenalin and I was so happy I forgot what I’d done.”
The domestic silverware was accompanied by European results which, were they to happen now, would scarcely be believed.
These included French aristocrats Monaco being seen off 5-2 in Monte Carlo and German aces Borussia Möenchengladbach being thumped 5-0 at Tannadice in 1981.
Sturrock and United were 90 minutes away from a European Cup final date with Liverpool but would come unstuck against a Roma side and a dodgy referee in 1984.
United’s greatest result under McLean was probably beating Barcelona 2-0 in the Nou Camp during the run to the 1987 Uefa Cup final.
United went on to lose the final 2-1 over two legs against IFK Gothenburg, with a 1-0 Scottish Cup final defeat to St Mirren sandwiched in between.
The rapturous ovation given by the thousands of home spectators to the victorious Swedes after the match earned United fans the fitting prize of the Uefa Fair Play Award, commemorated to this day by one of the Tannadice stands.
Sturrock won 20 full caps for Scotland during his playing career, although it remains something of a mystery that he did not represent his country considerably more often.
Sturrock made his Scotland debut under Jock Stein in 1981 and made the 22 for Spain a year later but had to wait until Mexico 1986 for his taste of World Cup finals action.
Sturrock became a first-team coach under McLean in 1989 when he retired due to injury at the age of 32.
Sturrock’s first step into management was with St Johnstone in 1993, spending five years in Perth and winning promotion to the Scottish Premier League in 1997.
He couldn’t resist the temptation to take over old club Dundee United, where he stayed until 2000, before heading to the other end of the UK to Plymouth Argyle.
Luggy was loved at Home Park and no wonder, clinching promotion to the English Second Division in 2002.
He was then on course for the Championship before he switched to Southampton in the Premiership.
His stay there was short, though, and then it was on to Sheffield Wednesday, where he won promotion to the Championship in 2005 via the play-offs.
Later, he was appointed manager of Swindon where he achieved promotion to League One before he returned to Home Park in 2007 and took the club to 10th in the Championship, which was the club’s highest position for 20 years.
In 2008 he revealed he had been suffering from a mild form of Parkinson’s disease since 2000 but, typically, said he didn’t want people feeling sorry for him.
He got on with life but Plymouth struggled in the next few years and he left in 2010 before his final managerial roles with Southend United and Yeovil Town.
Sturrock would return to Tannadice
Sturrock did some scouting work for United in 2018 and joined the coaching staff for a short period under Csaba Laszlo, before leaving Tannadice the following season.
He was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2019 and became the subject of an Early Day Motion by North East Fife MP Stephen Gethins at Westminster.
"It wasn't in his makeup."
Paul Sturrock explains that Jim McLean wasn't one for praising players.
Watch Icons of Football on @BBCiPlayer https://t.co/81g3ukJRMG pic.twitter.com/0hp2W5oyaf
— BBC Scotland (@BBCScotland) June 17, 2023
Sturrock was one of Scottish football’s great one-club men.
Was he ever tempted to leave?
Sturrock said: “Every time someone came in for me, I was told about it and he (Jim McLean) would bump my wages up a bit!
“But he was adamant I wasn’t going anywhere.
“But I didn’t feel any desire to leave.”
- Icons Of Football: Paul Sturrock is on the BBC Scotland channel at 10.30pm.
