Charles Campbell

1850s — 1927

Football Player; An early pioneering influence within Scottish football Charles Campbell progressed from being a star player for club and country to become a prominent referee and administrator. Campbell first joined Queen’s Park in 1870 and his time at the club coincided with the “Spiders” emerging as a dominant force within British football. A lively competitor Campbell was a prize winning sprinter and he was noted for his prowess in the air and his passing ability on the ground. He was arguably Britain’s greatest midfielder for most of his 16 year playing career.

In 13 appearances for Scotland Campbell was given the prestigious captaincy eight times and he only lost once in ten matches against England. This run included famous wins of 7-2 (1878), 6-1 (1881) and 5-1 (1882). With Queen’s Park Campbell was twice an FA Cup finalist and eight times winner of the Scottish Cup. He went on to become President of Queen’s Park, President of the Scottish FA and was selected as referee for the 1889 Scottish Cup Final.