Clan Rising

Wallace Clan Champion

Jock Wallace(1935–1996)

John Martin Bokas Wallace

The soldier-goalkeeper who became Rangers' great motivator, winning two domestic Trebles and breaking Celtic's grip, and carried the patriot name of Wallace with ferocious heart.

John Martin Bokas Wallace, known to Scottish football as Jock, was born on 6 September 1935 in Wallyford, East Lothian, into a footballing family. He kept goal for Airdrieonians, West Bromwich Albion and the non-League side Bedford Town, for whom he famously helped knock First Division Newcastle United out of the FA Cup, and as player-manager of Berwick Rangers he was in the side that beat Rangers one to nil in one of the great Scottish Cup shocks of 1967.

Between football he soldiered with the King's Own Scottish Borderers, including jungle service during the Malayan Emergency, and the hardness of that life ran through his coaching. His pre-season fitness work became legend, above all the brutal sand-dune runs at Gullane that his players called Murder Hill. He drove men further than they believed they could go, and they ran through walls for him.

He was on the Rangers coaching staff when the club won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1972, and as manager from that year he ended Celtic's long dominance. Rangers were Scottish champions in 1975, breaking Celtic's nine-in-a-row sequence, and under Wallace won the full domestic Treble of league, Scottish Cup and League Cup in both 1976 and 1978, a clean sweep achieved twice in three seasons.

He later won promotion with Leicester City, the First Division title with Motherwell, and returned to Rangers in the 1980s for two more League Cups and the rebuilding that set up the club's next era. Jock Wallace was a fierce, warm, much-loved figure who asked everything of his players and gave everything himself. He bore the name of Scotland's patriot with a soldier's heart, and the Rangers support has never forgotten him.

Achievements

  • ·Won the Scottish league title with Rangers in 1976 and 1978, ending Celtic's dominance from 1975
  • ·Won the full domestic Treble (league, Scottish Cup, League Cup) with Rangers in 1976 and 1978
  • ·On the Rangers staff for the 1972 European Cup Winners' Cup
  • ·Won the First Division title with Motherwell, 1982; promotion with Leicester City
  • ·Two further League Cups in a second spell at Rangers

Where this story lives

Frequently asked

What is Jock Wallace famous for?

The soldier-goalkeeper who became Rangers' great motivator, winning two domestic Trebles and breaking Celtic's grip, and carried the patriot name of Wallace with ferocious heart. John Martin Bokas Wallace, known to Scottish football as Jock, was born on 6 September 1935 in Wallyford, East Lothian, into a footballing family.

When was Jock Wallace born?

Jock Wallace was born in 1935 in Wallyford, East Lothian. The full biographical record sits on the dedicated page on Clan Rising, set alongside the wider history of the Wallace family.

When did Jock Wallace die?

Jock Wallace died in 1996. That gave a lifespan of about 61 years.

How long did Jock Wallace live?

Jock Wallace lived for around 61 years, from in 1935 to in 1996. The page records the substantive years in full, with the achievements and the geography that frame the life.

Where was Jock Wallace born?

Jock Wallace was born in Wallyford, East Lothian, in Scotland. The atlas links the birthplace to its tile page so the surrounding geography and other families of the area can be explored from the same record.

Where in Scotland did Jock Wallace live and work?

Jock Wallace's life and work were concentrated in East Lothian and Glasgow. Each location has its own page on the atlas with the broader historical context for the area.

What is Jock Wallace's connection to the Wallace family?

Jock Wallace is recorded on Clan Rising as a Wallace Clan Champion, a figure whose life is inseparable from the surname. The Clan Wallace family page sets the wider context for the name and links through to every other notable bearer.

What did Jock Wallace achieve?

Headline achievements recorded for Jock Wallace include Won the Scottish league title with Rangers in 1976 and 1978, ending Celtic's dominance from 1975, Won the full domestic Treble (league, Scottish Cup, League Cup) with Rangers in 1976 and 1978, On the Rangers staff for the 1972 European Cup Winners' Cup and Won the First Division title with Motherwell, 1982; promotion with Leicester City. The full list and the surrounding biographical record sit on the dedicated champion page.

Was Jock Wallace a Wallace?

Yes. Jock Wallace is filed on Clan Rising under the Wallace family. The naming convention follows the surname a diaspora reader would search for today; titles, particles and pen names sort under that same canonical surname.