Erich Peter Schaedler (6 August 1949 – 24 December 1985), nicknamed "Shades", 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 ...

of German extraction, who played as a left back. Schaedler was the son of a German POW. Born in

Biggar, South Lanarkshire Biggar ( gd, Bigear ) is a town and former burgh in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, in the Southern Uplands near the River Clyde on the A702. The closest towns are Lanark and Peebles. Details The town was once served by the Symington, Bigga ...

, Schaedler started his career at

Stirling Albion Stirling Albion Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Stirling. The club was founded in 1945 following the demise of King's Park after World War II. The club currently competes in Scottish League Two as a member of the ...

in 1969 before moving to Hibernian later that year. It was at

Easter Road Easter Road is a association football, football stadium located in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premiership club Hibernian F.C., Hibernian (Hibs). The stadium currently has an all-seated capacity ...

that he would enjoy his greatest success, forming part of the "Turnbull's Tornadoes" side that won the

Drybrough Cup The Drybrough Cup was a Scottish annual football tournament. It was held from 1971 until 1974, and was revived from 1979 to 1980. It was open to the four highest-scoring teams from Division 1, and the four highest-scoring teams from Division 2. T ...

then

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 ...

in 1972–73, and the Drybrough Cup in 1973–74. This side also finished second in the Scottish League in consecutive seasons. Schaedler was awarded his only Scotland cap during this period, against

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

. He was selected in the squad for the 1974 FIFA World Cup but did not play in the tournament. Schaedler moved to Dundee in 1977, where he won a First Division championship in 1978–79. He returned to Hibs in 1981, playing for four seasons before moving to

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

. By 1984, he was running a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

, Shades, on Easter Road, Edinburgh, receiving a bravery award from

Lothian and Borders Police Lothian and Borders Police was the territorial police force for the Scottish council areas of the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian between 1975 and 2013. The force's headquarters were in Fettes ...

in December 1984 when he and two police constables (who also received awards) confronted a man carrying a loaded shotgun at the pub."Shades – The short life and tragic death of Erich Schaedler", by Colin Leslie, ''The Edinburgh Reporter'', 5 November 2013
/ref> Schaedler was still playing senior football when he committed suicide at the age of 36 on Christmas Eve 1985 in the

Cardrona Forest The Cardrona Forest is a forest in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, on the B7062, near Peebles. OS Grid Reference: NT292385. Cardrona Forest consists of a mixed conifer woodland with upgraded facilities. It is part of a portfolio of fores ...

References

Sources

* ''Shades: The Short Life And Tragic Death of Erich Schaedler'' by Colin Leslie; Black and White Publishing, October 2013.

External links

* * 1949 births 1985 deaths People from Biggar, South Lanarkshire Footballers from South Lanarkshire Dumbarton F.C. players Dundee F.C. players Men's association football fullbacks Hibernian F.C. players Scotland men's international footballers Scottish people of German descent Scottish Football League players Scottish men's footballers Stirling Albion F.C. players 1974 FIFA World Cup players Suicides by firearm in Scotland 1985 suicides British publicans {{Scotland-footy-defender-1940s-stub