Norman "Norrie" McCathie (23 March 1961 – 8 January 1996) was a Scottish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

best known for time with Scottish club

Dunfermline Athletic Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently play in Scottish League One after being relegated from the 2021–22 Scottish Championship. Dunfermline ...

. Signed by Dunfermline manager Pat Stanton in August 1981 from

Cowdenbeath Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 189 ...

, McCathie went on to play a club record of 576 games between 1981 and 1996.

Career

McCathie made his Dunfermline debut on 24 October 1981 against

Ayr United Ayr United Football Club are a football club in Ayr, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. Formed in 1910 by the merger of Ayr Parkhouse and Ayr F.C., their nickname is ...

and scored his first goal three days later in a 3–1 win over Queen's Park. By 1984, McCathie had become a regular in the Dunfermline team and helped the club to successive promotions to the First Division in season 1985–86 and to the

Scottish Premier Division The Scottish Football League Premier Division was, from 1975 until 1998, the top division of the Scottish Football League and the entire Scottish football league system. It lay above the Scottish Football League First, Second and (from 1994) ...

in season 1986–87. McCathie sustained a career-threatening injury in 1989 and went on loan to Ayr United during his rehabilitation. He returned in January and scored in his return match against Airdrieonians. He went on to play in every match for Dunfermline in the next two seasons and helped the club reach the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

final in season 1991–92.

Final appearance

McCathie's final appearance on the field was a 2–1 defeat against St.Mirren at St.Mirren Park on 6 January 1996. That season Dunfermline went on to gain promotion to the Scottish Premier Division.

Death

McCathie died on 8 January 1996 from

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as " flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large ...

, aged 34, at his home in Fife. His 26-year-old girlfriend Amanda Burns also died in the tragedy. He had separated from his pregnant wife Julie in late 1995, and their daughter Jade Clare was born in March 1996 just over two months after his death. He also had two older children, Alison and Paul.

Tributes

Following McCathie's untimely death, his shirt number 4 was retired for the remainder of the 1995–96 season. In December 1998, a stand at the club's

East End Park East End Park, currently named KDM Group East End Park for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium situated in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland with a seating capacity of . The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Championship ...

stadium was named after him. The stand is also home to a large banner & picture of Norrie with words reading, "Lead From The Front, Never Beaten" as well as "Legend 4 Ever".

References

External links