Dead - Old AFC Left Back

[blowupsheep]

Very sad news indeed, brilliant left back and just a really nice guy.
RIP Chic min and thanks for the memories.

We need a left back of Chic's standard at the club today.

[57vintage]

Was he only 63?
Seems that Afc and Wikipedia have posted conflicting ages , club says 63 and wiki says 67 .........

I think 67 rather than 63.

[pieandbovrilman]

I think 67 rather than 63.

Aye I thought that , cheers .

Was a player from before my time , RIP and condolences to the family .

[57vintage]

The Psychosomatic and Jojoba's tribute hits the right note. It was good to see Drew still taking Chic along Pittodrie Street to home games in recent seasons. The Football Memories initiative does extremely good work in using fitba as a therapy for dementia sufferers, and a friend who helps run it at Pittodrie gets as much out of it as those who are debilitated by that awful affliction.

"Family pays tribute to former Dons star and Aberdeen youth coach
BY JAMIE HALL

Family and friends of former Dons star and coach Chic McLelland have paid tribute after he died at the age of 67.
The long-serving defender – who made more than 150 appearances for the Pittodrie side and later returned as a youth coach – had suffered from early onset dementia for around 10 years, and contracted Covid-19 last week.
Born in Glasgow, Mr McLelland moved to Aberdeen as a 14-year-old to join the Dons’ youth ranks. Having started out as a forward, he became a favourite in the Granite City as a reliable full-back.
After spells as a player with Motherwell, Dundee and Montrose, he returned to Pittodrie in the 1990s and became a driving force behind Aberdeen’s youth development programme.
Outside football, Mr McLelland was a devoted father and grandfather to his daughters Natalie, 44, and Gemma, 40, and his grandchildren Jay, 11, Cole and Emmy, both eight.
“Dad was always a very caring person,” Natalie, of Aberdeen, said. “He would do anything for anyone.”
Mr McLelland moved into Rubislaw Park Care Home as his dementia progressed, and also received support from the Forget-Me-Not Club.
Natalie said: “He was very active, even when he was ill. When we were able to take the children to see him they would always remember him doing things.
“He was so motivated. Even when he came up to Aberdeen at 14, away from his family, he went to night school because he was so driven.”
After his playing days, Mr McLelland remained friends with many of his former team-mates, including Drew Jarvie, and the pair continued to attend games at Pittodrie.
“Chic had a good sense of humour,” Mr Jarvie said.
“He was good company, but liked to laugh at his own jokes mind you! He was one of these guys who would tell a joke and then kill himself laughing.
“He was a good mate of mine and I’ll miss him and the times we had.”
Mr McLelland’s family began to notice signs of dementia while he was in his 50 s and given his reputation for being a good header of the ball, believe it could be related to his football career.
“We don’t know for sure what caused it but if we had to guess we would say the football had something to do with it,” Natalie said. “All the consultants and people who treated dad said he didn’t tick a single box for any of the things they know can cause dementia.
“There wasn’t any history of dementia in his family. He’s the second-youngest of seven siblings and he’s the first one who’s passed away.
“We can’t really come to any other conclusion.”
Natalie added: “Some people might be unfortunate in that they are more prone to it if they head a ball or do boxing. My dad was unlucky because he was a very unlikely candidate to get it.
“It’s really sad but I don’t think he would have had it any other way. It’s happened, and it’s a terrible thing to be trapped like he was, but he wouldn’t have swapped his football career for anything else.”"

Sleep easy Chic, min.

[BogBrush1903]

It's great to read both Chic and Drew, who, perhaps, both didn't have any connections to Aberdeen before playing for the club, becoming Dons for life along with their families and retiring to live here too.

That's a great testament to their professional commitment and heart they gave us when they represented the city. True Dons and I wish we had more today wearing the red like Chic Mclelland and Drew Jarvie.

EDIT: And I should add King Joey, Willie Miller, Jim Leighton and Brian Irvine to that list too.
EDIT2: Although I think Big Irvine lives up in Inverness but there can be no doubt he's a True Don

[57vintage]

The More Successful Team In Dundee also pays tribute:

https://dundeefc.co.uk/news/chic-mclelland-1953-2020/