Gordon McKeag (1928 – 29 September 2005) was an English solicitor and former chairman of

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

Biography

McKeag was born in

Whickham Whickham is a village in Tyne and Wear, North East England. It is in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. The village is on high ground overlooking the River Tyne and south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It was formerly governed under the histo ...

and attended Durham and

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. He followed in his father's footsteps to become a solicitor. McKeag was first appointed to the board of Newcastle United in November 1972 on the death of his father, Alderman

William McKeag William McKeag MSM (29 June 1897 – 4 October 1972) was a British politician, soldier and solicitor. His political affiliations changed over the years from Liberal to National Liberal, back to Liberal and finally to Conservative, but he never ...

. In June 1988 he took on the top job as chairman at the club while he was in recovery from a quintuple

heart bypass Coronary artery bypass surgery, also known as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG, pronounced "cabbage") is a surgical procedure to treat coronary artery disease (CAD), the buildup of plaques in the arteries of the heart. It can relieve chest pai ...

. He led the club through a difficult period when it was relegated to the old

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

. During that time, he fought off takeover bids from Sir John Hall. He stepped down from the job after a club share issue failed to gain support in December 1990. McKeag continued to be involved in a number of high-profile organisations. He was president of the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

, chairman of the FA Challenge Cup Committee, director of

the Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...

and director of the Football League and PFA Administration. He was also president of the Jesmond Lawn Tennis Club where he was a member for more than thirty years. His passion for football never waned and a week before his death he was in his usual seat in the Milburn Stand at the last home game to watch Newcastle beat

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

at St James' Park.

References

1928 births 2005 deaths Newcastle United F.C. directors and chairmen People from Whickham Alumni of the University of Cambridge {{UK-business-bio-1920s-stub