Jim Baxter, who died on 14 April , 2001, at the age of 61, was one of Scottish football's most talented players.

Mr Baxter made his name at Rangers in the early 1960s, with whom he won a number of honours, before moving south to play for Sunderland and Nottingham Forest.

It was his performances for his national side for which he will be best remembered, particularly the role he played in two of Scottish football’s finest victories over the auld enemy, England, in 1963 and 1967.

Away from football Mr Baxter also achieved legendary status, once claiming that if he had received the high wages enjoyed by future generations of players then: “I'd have spent £50,000 a week at the bookies instead of £100”.

James Curran Baxter was born in the Hill of Beath, Fife on 29 September, 1939. After leaving school he started to work down the mines, but was soon spotted by Raith Rovers, for whom he signed a part-time contract in 1957.

A full-time contract arrived in 1958, along with a Scotland Under-21 debut against Wales.

His reputation growing, a move to his boyhood club, Rangers, came in 1960, for what was then a Scottish record transfer fee of £17,500. He made his competitive debut against Partick Thistle on August 13.

Mr Baxter made his international debut in a 5-2 victory over Northern Ireland on 9 November, 1960, in the British International Championship.

His finest performance for his country came three years later, when he inspired a 10-man Scotland to a 2-1 victory over England, scoring both goals himself after Eric Caldow had broken his leg.

For five years Mr Baxter was the king of an all-conquering Rangers side, winning three championship medals (1961, 1963 and 1964), three Scottish Cup medals (1962, 1963 and 1964) and four League Cup winners' medals (1960, 1961, 1963 and 1964).

During this period Rangers also enjoyed an impressive record against their fierce rivals, Celtic. In 18 Old Firm games he was on the losing side just twice.

In April 1965 he was transferred to Sunderland for £72,000, before moving onto Nottingham Forest for £100,000 two years later.

Although his club form was poor, Mr Baxter saved one special performance for England at Wembley in 1967. Scotland became 'world champions' for a day, beating the then world champions 3-2, with Mr Baxter ball juggling during the match in an effort to torment the opposition.

He returned to Rangers in 1969, but was not the player who had left fours years earlier and he struggled to make an impact at Ibrox.

His off-field antics were no secret, and he had a love of both alcohol and ladies. This, coupled with the arrival of a new manager at Rangers, signalled the end of his career, playing the last of his 254 games for the club in December 1969 in a 3-2 win over Aberdeen.

In retirement he ran his own pub, but his love of the good life brought it to a premature end. This lifestyle also resulted in him having two life-saving liver transplants in the mid-90s, after which he pledged to stop drinking.

In February 2001 Mr Baxter was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He died from cancer of the pancreas two months later at his home in the Shawlands area of Glasgow.