Tragedy as former Rangers and Ipswich star Redford is found dead in Scottish woodland
Former Rangers and Dundee United midfielder Ian Redford has been found dead in woods.
The player who was once Scottish football’s most expensive signing is believed to have taken his own life. He was aged 53.
Police Scotland confirmed they had been called to woodlands in Long Drive, Irvine, Ayrshire, shortly after 11 am on Friday, where they recovered a body.
Officers said there did not appear to be any suspicious circumstances and were awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination to discover the cause of death.
A spokesman said: ‘At around 11.15am on Friday police received a report of a man’s body being found within a wooded area near to Long Drive in Irvine.’
He added: ‘Officers are investigating and inquiries are continuing.’
As the tragic news was made public, players and supporters paid their own tributes.
Rangers legend Sandy Jardine, who played alongside Redford in the 1980s, said: ‘He was a great athlete and a very good professional but, most of all, Ian was just a really nice lad.’
Redford is survived by wife Janine, golfer son Ian and daughter Natalie. A family friend said: ‘Things haven’t been easy for the family in the last wee while.
‘They are a close family – I just can’t imagine how the kids will be feeling right now.
‘It’s really tragic – he was well-liked and loved by his friends and family.’
The midfielder joined Rangers for a then Scottish transfer record of £210,000 in 1980 before going on to make more than 250 appearances during his five-year spell at Ibrox.
He helped the club achieve success, winning the Scottish Cup and the League Cup three times. But he fell out of favour and later returned to his native Tayside where he helped Dundee United reach the UEFA Cup final in 1987.
Before finishing his career he played for Ipswich Town, St Johnstone and Brechin, ending on a high by helping Raith Rovers beat Celtic to win the League Cup in 1995.
Off the field, Redford battled depression brought on by the death in 1972 of his younger brother Douglas, who had been diagnosed with leukaemia when he was only three years old.
Last month, Redford disclosed that he would leave his home in Saltcoats, Ayrshire, to keep a sombre annual appointment with sister Jill to lay a wreath at Kinclaven cemetery in Perthshire for their sibling.
In an emotional interview in the Scottish Daily Mail he spoke of the enormous strain caring for Douglas placed on the entire family.
Redford said: ‘The loss of my brother at a very early age and the way that we dealt with that as a family was akin to storing things up rather than confronting them.’
Leave a Reply