The origins of Sunderland's first £100,000 footballer - who drew praise from Pele and Ferenc Puskas

A few days ago I came across a story concerning Jim when he was just a boy.

Two of Sunderland’s best known supporters are the Dean brothers, Steve and Paul. You won’t meet any more dedicated fans. They haven’t missed a match for 20 years, home or away anywhere in the world, including pre-season friendlies spread around the globe

Chatting on the phone to Steve the other day I found out that his cousin Dave Philp [Not Philip] had been in the same school team as Jim Baxter in Hill O’Beath. That is in between Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline. I went there once to see the statue of Baxter after I’d been to visit the former Sunderland full-back Jimmy Nicholl when he was managing the Blue Brazil, as Cowdenbeath like to be known.

Dave Philp was a year older than Baxter and in 1952-53 played in the school’s first team with the very Slim Jim in the second team before they played together in Jim’s final school year of 1953-54. He remembers of Baxter, “He couldn’t tackle to save his life but with the ball at his feet, even then knew what to do with it. I was number 3 behind Jim at number 6 and my instructions were to give Jim the ball when I got it. Being a terrier in the tackle all I got from Jim was ‘Ma baw’ [My ball].”

It must have been a canny school team as Robert Gilfilan also went on to play professionally, even having a spell with Newcastle.

Baxter went on to claim ten winner’s medals with Rangers and become the player Sir Alex Ferguson described as ‘Arguably the best player to play in Scottish football.’ He first played at Roker Park in 1961 for the Army against an FA XI.

Two years later he was playing for the Rest of the World against England at Wembley. Pele, Ferenc Puskas and George Best were amongst the legends of the game to heap praise on Baxter’s talent.

However, it was Steven and Paul Dean’s cousin Dave who was amongst the very first to realise what a special talent Baxter was. He still couldn’t tackle when he signed for Sunderland and didn’t seem interested in doing so, but he called that left foot of his ‘the Claw’ and it was perhaps the sharpest the Black Cats have ever had.

Baxter became Sunderland’s record signing when bought from Rangers for £72,500 in 1965. Two and a half years later he became the first player to be sold by Sunderland for £100,000.

You’ll find him featured in the lists of record buys and sales in the new official Sunderland AFC history book, ‘Sunderland: The Absolute Record.’ This 400 page large format hardback costs £30. If ordered before 31 August you can include your name or the name of someone you are buying it for. Order from www.safctheabsoluterecord.co.uk.