Jack Ferguson

Motherwell international water polo player Jack Ferguson was the son of Hughie Ferguson, one of the most prolific goal scorers in senior British football. Sadly, young Jack never got to meet his father because he committed suicide by gassing himself after a training session at Dundee’s Dens Park ground in January 1930, just three months before Jack was born.

Hughie Ferguson created a piece of English FA Cup history in 1927 when he scored the only goal of the final to give Cardiff City a 1-0 win over Arsenal, which made the Welsh team the first to take the Cup out of England. Coincidentally, in 1949, Jack played for Motherwell in their 8-3 win over Bradford Dolphins at Lancaster, in the final of the ASA National Cup as they too became the first team to take that trophy out of England.

Ferguson played for Motherwell from 1947-60 and in that time won the Scottish Cup 12 times. He won 25 Scottish caps, and a further 17 with Great Britain, including seven in two Olympics, 1952 and 1956. He made his Scotland début at the age of 17. After ending his playing career, Ferguson was the Scottish national coach and team manager for four years until becoming deputy director of physical education at the University of St Andrews, until his retirement in 1990. In 2007 he was one the inaugural inductees into the University’s Sports Hall of Fame.