Samuel Black ISM (18 October 1905 – 1977) 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 ...

who played as an

outside left Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

. Often regarded as the greatest player to have represented Plymouth Argyle,Plymouth Argyle 101 Golden Greats, Andy Riddle he is the club's all-time record scorer with 182 goals. His career began in his native Scotland with

Kirkintilloch Rob Roy Kirkintilloch Rob Roy Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire. Nicknamed ''The Rabs'' or ''The Roy'', they were formed in 1878. They wear red and black strips and currently compete in t ...

, where he was spotted by Bob Jack. He moved to

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

in 1924 and became an instant favourite with the club's supporters. His goalscoring ability made him stand out from other wingers and his partnership with

inside left Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

Jack Leslie became legendary, as the club challenged for promotion to the First Division during the 1930s. Nicknamed ''The Mighty Atom'', Black was known to play with a cigarette stub tucked behind his ear."Sammy Black"
Greens on Screen. Retrieved 6 February 2010. He ended his career with

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

and returned to Plymouth during the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

to work in the

Royal Naval Armaments Depot A Royal Naval Armament Depot (RNAD) is an armament depot (or a group of depots) dedicated to supplying the Royal Navy (as well as, at various times, the Royal Air Force, the British Army and foreign and Commonwealth forces). They were sister de ...

. He was inducted into the Plymouth Argyle Hall of Fame in 2004.

Playing career

Standing at just five feet six inches tall, Black was the epitome of what a winger was like in the mid-twentieth century. In those days wingers rarely tracked back. They were not expected to do anything other than terrorise full backs. It was Black's eye for goal that made him stand out from other players in his position. He was comfortable using either foot and many of his goals came from unlikely angles with staggering regularity. He began his career with

, a junior club based in

East Dunbartonshire East Dunbartonshire ( sco, Aest Dunbartanshire; gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Bhreatainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the north of Glasgow and contains many of the affluent areas to the north of the city, including Bea ...

. His performances caught the eye of Bob Jack, a fellow Scot who was manager of Plymouth Argyle. Black joined the club in 1924 and scored on his Football League debut in a 7–1 win against Brentford. His skill on the ball and goalscoring ability made him a darling of the

Home Park Home Park is a football stadium in Plymouth, England. The ground has been the home of Football League One club Plymouth Argyle since 1901.Jack Leslie; they scored 320 goals between them in all competitions for Argyle. When rumours of interest from other club's surfaced, a ''Sammy Must Not Go!'' campaign sparked demonstrations and public meetings; Black was destined to remain as Argyle's

talisman A talisman is any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made. Talismans are often portable objects carried on someone in a variety of ways, but can also be installed perm ...

. His last match for the club in January 1938, with Bob Jack still in charge of first team selection but due to retire at the end of the 1937–38 season. Black then joined

, having scored 182 goals in 491 appearances for the club. His stay at

Loftus Road Loftus Road is a football stadium in White City, London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers. In 1981, it became the first stadium in British professional football to have an artificial pitch of Omniturf installed. This remained in ...

was ended abruptly by the outbreak of war and he returned to Plymouth having made just five league appearances. To mark Plymouth Argyle's 100th year as a professional club, the club's supporters were asked to vote on who they thought were the best to have represented Argyle during that time. Black was included alongside twelve other people, but he was the only one who played before the war.. BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 August 2010.

Personal life

Black returned to Plymouth when his playing career was brought to an end to work in the

at HMNB Devonport as a storehouse assistant. He continued to live in the city after hostilities had ceased and was awarded the

Imperial Service Medal The Imperial Service Medal (ISM) is a medal affiliated with the Imperial Service Order. The medal was established under the statutes of the Imperial Service Order, on 8 August 1902, by King Edward VII, with the first awards appearing in the Londo ...

in 1966 for his contribution to the depot. He died in 1977.

Career statistics

Honours

Plymouth Argyle *

Football League Third Division South The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to ...

: 1929–30 Individual *

: 1966 * Plymouth Argyle Hall of Fame: 2004 * Plymouth Argyle Team of the Century: 2004

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Sammy 1905 births Footballers from Motherwell Scottish footballers Association football wingers Kirkintilloch Rob Roy F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players English Football League players 1977 deaths Royal Navy personnel of World War II Scottish Junior Football Association players