Rangers legend Woodburn dies

Willie Woodburn (right) played for Rangers for 17 years

Legendary Rangers defender Willie Woodburn has died at the age of 82.

Woodburn will go down in history as one of the greatest centre-backs the club has had.

He will also be remembered as the last player to be banned for life from the game he served so well.

Born in Edinburgh on 8 August 1919, Woodburn signed for Rangers in October 1937.

Woodburn played in Rangers' famous Iron Curtain defence of the late 1940s and early 1950s along with Bobby Brown, George Young, Jock Shaw, Ian McColl and Sammy Cox.

Ban lifted

He helped them to four Scottish league titles, four Scottish Cups and two League Cups, including a domestic Treble in 1948/49.

He also won 24 caps for Scotland.

Woodburn's career was prematurely ended in 1954 when he was banned sine die from football following the fourth sending-off of his career.

The Scottish Football Association imposed the life ban after he was sent off for retaliation in a League Cup game, a year after he had been banned for six weeks for a similar offence and warned about his future behaviour.

The SFA subsequently lifted the ban three years later, but Woodburn did not return to playing.

Rangers have expressed their sorrow at the loss of one of the club's great players and have extended their sympathy to Willie Woodburn's family.