Robert Walker was a Scottish
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 le ...
who was one of the first black players of the sport.
He played in the late 1870s for
Parkgrove
Parkgrove is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Approximately 4 miles north-west of Edinburgh city centre. The suburb is located between the neighbouring areas of Clermiston, Barnton and Davidson's Mains
Davidson's Mains is a ...
(alongside fellow black player
Andrew Watson) and between 1875-1877 for
Third Lanark
Third Lanark Athletic Club was a Scottish football club based in Glasgow. Founded in 1872 as an offshoot of the 3rd Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, the club was a founder member of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) in 1872 and the Scottish ...
(with whom he was a runner-up in the
1876 Scottish Cup Final).
He took part in two trials for the
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team gd, Sgioba Ball-coise Nàiseanta na h-Alba sco, Scotland National Fitbaa Team represents Scotland in men's international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. It competes in the t ...
(1876 and 1877),
Football. Matches Played On Saturday.
The Glasgow Herald, 19 February 1877 but this did not lead to a full cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...
.
See also
* Andrew Watson (footballer, born 1856)
Andrew Watson (24 May 1856 – 8 March 1921) was a Scottish footballer who is widely considered to be the first black person to play association football at international level. He played three matches for Scotland between 1881 and 1882. Arthur ...
- the first black person to play association football. Watson played for Maxwell, Parkgrove, and Queens Park before being capped for Scotland
* James Robertson (rugby union, born 1854)
James George Robertson (c.1854 – February 1900) was a Scottish rugby union player. He is the first black rugby union player in the world.
The Scottish sports historian Andy Mitchell, who researched Robertson's life, stated: "It is intriguing ...
- the first black person to play rugby union. Robertson played for Royal HSFP
Royal High School Former Pupils was a former Edinburgh rugby union club; but the club was re-formed as Barnton RFC and is now known as Royal High RFC.
Royal HSFP was a founder member of the Scottish Rugby Union, the second oldest national gove ...
and represented Edinburgh District in the 1870s.
* Willie Clarke (footballer)
William Gibb Clarke (3 March 1878 – 1949) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a winger. Clarke was the first Black professional footballer to score in the English Football League, while playing for Aston Villa in December 19 ...
- the first black player to score in the English 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 Engl ...
, a Scottish footballer who played for Third Lanark
Third Lanark Athletic Club was a Scottish football club based in Glasgow. Founded in 1872 as an offshoot of the 3rd Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, the club was a founder member of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) in 1872 and the Scottish ...
in the late 1890s.
References
Year of birth missing
Date of death missing
Scottish footballers
Black British sportsmen
Third Lanark A.C. players
Association football forwards
Parkgrove F.C. players
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