Liverpool Legend Ron Yeats, Iconic Captain Under Bill Shankly, Passes Away At 86
Former captain Ron Yeats passed away following a fight with Alzheimer's disease and Liverpool has honoured him. Yeats was a key player in Anfield's ascent to premier league triumph during his ten years there. He was one of the main characters in Bill Shankly's early Anfield managerial career. Yeats would later rejoin the team and serve as a scout for 20 years.
Yeats was one of the most prominent figures in Bill Shankly's Reds team and helped the club win promotion from the Second Division to a top-flight title within the space of two years.
Yeats arrived at Liverpool from Dundee United in July 1961 and was named club captain within two months of his move to Anfield.
He played a pivotal role in Liverpool's 1963/64 title success and lifted the FA Cup at Wembley a year later following a 2-1 extra-time win over Leeds United.
Yeats was part of the first Liverpool team to feature in the European Cup, as they progressed to the semi-finals before being beaten by eventual champions Inter Milan.
The defender featured in all of Liverpool's 42 games, as they won the 1965/66 First Division title.
He also played in the 1966 Cup Winners' Cup final against Borussia Dortmund, but was on the losing side in a 2-1 defeat at Hampden Park after extra time.
His 10-year stint on Merseyside came to an end in 1971, and he departed after making 454 appearances for The Reds.
He previously revealed his proudest achievements in quotes published on Liverpool’s obituary for the player, and said: “There have been two of them. Being the captain that took the club out of the Second Division after eight years was a very, very proud moment.
“We won the league by eight or nine points that season and to follow that by being the first captain of Liverpool to lift the FA Cup is something I am very proud of.
“I do not go round with the medals on my chest, it is just there for me to say.”
Yeats subsequently played for Tranmere Rovers, Stalybridge Celtic, Los Angeles Skyhawks, Barrow, Santa Barbara Condors and Formby after leaving Liverpool.
He would return to the club as a scout in 1986 - a position he held for 20 years, and helped to bring another legendary defender in Sami Hyypia to the club.