Sammy Cox
Many Rangers supporters will remember this tremendous flag at the last Old Firm match of last season. The flag belongs to NARSA (North American Rangers Supporters Association). As the name indicates this is an association of Rangers supporters clubs from USA and Canada. There is just over 100 clubs in NARSA. This is a wonderful example of what a tremendous fan base Rangers have all over the world. If further proof was needed simply compare the Gers supporters clubs in this part of the world with those of England's "Big Four". Manchester United 7 (USA 6 Canada 1), Chelsea 6 (USA 4 Canada 2),
Liverpool 4 (USA 2 Canada 2) and Arsenal 2 (USA 1 Canada 1). No contest!!! For more about NARSA please see http://www.narsa.ca/
The player whose picture is in the centre of the flag is Sammy Cox who played for Rangers from 1946 to 1955 and was a member of Rangers famous "Iron Curtain" defence of Brown, Young, Shaw, McColl, Woodburn and Cox. Sammy played as an amateur with Queens Park, Third Lanark and Dundee during the Second World War before signing for Rangers in May 1946 on the same day as goalkeeper Bobby Brown did. Both were to be members of the Rangers side that won the Scottish Victory Cup just weeks later. He played in every League match in season 1947-48 and won a Scottish Cup winners medal. It was to be the following season that was the highlight of his Rangers career when Rangers became the first team to win the treble of the Scottish League, Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup in the same season. Yes season 1948-49 was one to remember for Sammy! The next season Rangers won the double of Scottish League and Scottish Cup. In season 1952-53 Sammy won his last major medal with Rangers with the Gers winning the league again. Three League
Championships, three Scottish Cup, one Scottish League Cup and one Victory Cup medals.
In "Rangers Player By Player" it describes Sammy "as beautifully balanced as any footballer who ever played for Rangers and Scotland, Sammy Cox was in a sense a player out of his time. He could well have fitted comfortably into any Brazilian team of the eighties. Cox was essentially a left-sided player, but he played with distinction as a full back or in either wing-half position. He was a regular in the Scottish team from 1949 to 1954 gaining 24 caps and had particular success against outstanding wingers such as Stanley Matthews and Tom Finney."
After leaving Ibrox he had a few seasons with East Fife and emigrated to Canada in 1959 hence the strong links with NARSA. In 2009 it meant 50 years since he left for Canada and 60 since he was a member of Rangers first treble winning team. What a player!