Alec Young was a Scottish footballer and coach. He played at centre-half

Defender (association football)

Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....

 for the league-winning Aberdeen

Aberdeen F.C.

Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...

 team of 1954-55

1954-55 in Scottish football

The 1954–55 season was the 58th season of competitive football in Scotland.Aberdeen won their first League Title.-Scottish League Division A:Champions: Aberdeen...

, and was inducted into the Aberdeen FC "Hall of Fame" as one of the founding members in 2003.

Playing career

Young began his playing career in junior

Scottish Junior Football Association

The Scottish Junior Football Association is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the Junior grade of football in Scotland. The term "Junior" refers to the level of football played...

 football in the West of Scotland, playing for Kilsyth Rangers

Kilsyth Rangers F.C.

Kilsyth Rangers Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Kilsyth, North Lanarkshire. Nicknamed The Wee Gers, they were formed in 1913 and play at Duncansfield Park, one of the bigger non-league football grounds in Scotland...

 and Blantyre Victoria

Blantyre Victoria F.C.

Blantyre Victoria Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Blantyre, South Lanarkshire. Nicknamed the Vics, they were formed in 1890 and play at Castle Park where their record attendance is 6,000...

 - with whom he won a Scottish Junior Cup

Scottish Junior Cup

The Scottish Junior Cup, known as The Emirates Junior Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football competition organised by the Scottish Junior Football Association for all its member clubs. The competition has been held every year since the inception of the SJFA in 1886 and as of the...

 in 1950 - before signing for Aberdeen at the relatively late age of 24. He was a mainstay of the successful Aberdeen side of the 1950s, playing in every game of the league championship season in 1954-55, and appearing in two Scottish Cup

Scottish Cup

The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...

 finals, in 1953

Scottish Cup 1952-53

The 1952–53 Scottish Cup was the 68th staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Rangers who defeated Aberdeen in the replayed final.-First round:-Replays:-Second round:-Replays:-Third round:...

 and 1954

Scottish Cup 1953-54

The 1953–54 Scottish Cup was the 69th staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Celtic who defeated Aberdeen in the final.-First round:-Replays:-Second Replays:-Second round:-Replays:...

. In the second of these finals, Young scored an own goal to open the scoring for Celtic

Celtic F.C.

Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...

, who went on to win 2–1.

Young never played for the Scottish national team, despite being a highly-regarded defender, and having captained the junior international side. Archie Glen

Archie Glen

Archie Glen was a Scottish association football player, who played as an wing half for Aberdeen for his whole career. Glen, who made over 200 league appearances for the club, helped Aberdeen win the 1955 league championship and the 1955 Scottish League Cup Final. He also represented the Scotland...

, one of Young's team-mates in the league-winning side, considered him to be one of that side's more under-rated players:

Young left Aberdeen in 1958, moving to Ross County

Ross County F.C.

Ross County Football Club are a Scottish professional football team from the town of Dingwall, Ross and Cromarty. Founded in 1929 they currently compete in the Scottish Football League First Division and play their home matches at Victoria Park. Prior to the 1994–95 season they played in the...

, then in the Highland League

Highland Football League

The Press & Journal Highland Football League is a league of football clubs operating not just in the Scottish Highlands, as the name may suggest, but also in the north-east lowlands...

, where he served as player-coach until retiring on medical advice in 1964.

He went on to run a grocery shop in Fortrose

Fortrose

Fortrose is a burgh in the Scottish Highlands, located on the Moray Firth, approximately ten kilometres north east of Inverness. The town is known for its ruined 13th century cathedral, and as the home of the Brahan Seer. In the Middle Ages it was the seat of the bishopric of Ross...

.