Bobby Lennox

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Lore & Background

He became one of the club's most decorated players with 11 League medals, eight Scottish Cup medals, and five League Cup medals (scoring 63 goals in that competition). Known for his incredible speed, fans nicknamed him 'Buzz Bomb' or 'Lemon'. He scored 301 goals in all competitions—second only to Jimmy McGrory's 468—and was the fifth-highest league scorer with 171 goals. He also placed third in the European Golden Boot standings for 1967–68.

In Their Own Story

In 1967, Lennox scored one of three goals for Scotland in their famous 2–1 victory over England at Wembley—the first defeat for the reigning FIFA World Cup holders since they won the trophy. This made him the first Celtic player to score for Scotland at Wembley. Two years later, he played in a second European Cup final against Feyenoord Rotterdam at San Siro in Milan, losing 2–1 after extra time. After leaving Celtic in March 1978 to play briefly for Houston Hurricane in the NASL (scoring three goals in 30 games), he returned to Celtic in September 1978. He won another League Championship that year and the Scottish Cup in 1980 before retiring as a player in November 1980, becoming the last Lisbon Lion to hang up his boots.

Reader's Guide

Lennox made his Scotland debut in 1966 against Northern Ireland (2–1 win) and earned 10 caps total, scoring three goals. His final international appearance was a 0–0 draw with Wales at Hampden Park in 1970. He was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in November 2005 and received an MBE in the 1981 New Year Honours for services to Celtic FC. He published his autobiography, A Million Miles For Celtic, in 1982. Today he works as a match day host for Celtic and serves as Honorary President of the Houston Bobby Lennox Celtic Club. His son Gary played professionally for Dundee, Ayr United, and Falkirk.

Did You Know?

• Lennox scored three goals in 30 games for Houston Hurricane before returning to Celtic.
• He was the first Celtic player to score for Scotland at Wembley, doing so against England in their first defeat since winning the World Cup.
• Fans called him 'Lemon' because they thought he made defenders look like 'suckers'.
• Lennox placed third for the European Golden Boot in 1967–68 with 171 league goals, fifth-highest all-time for Celtic.
• He was the last Lisbon Lion to retire as a player when he joined Celtic's coaching staff in November 1980.