During 2002, an initial list of 100 sporting greats was considered by a panel of experts and 50 were selected to form a Scottish Sports Hall of Fame. If the choice had been made by the general public, it is likely that the more celebrated names of recent times would have predominated. Instead, there is a good representation from earlier times too, though the names may not be too familiar today - it is part of the intention of the Hall of Fame to rectify that.
Many of the present day sports stars were present as "inductees" at the launch of this Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in December 2002 at the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh. Today's celebrities hoped that youngsters would be inspired by the new roll call so that the small country of Scotland would continue to "punch above its weight" in the sportsfields in the future.
The picture on the right is of Sir Matt Busby, holding aloft the European Cup.
The Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
- Louise Aitken-Walker (1960- ) - The first woman to win a national rally drving championship outright in Britain when she took the Ladies World Rally Championship in 1990.
- Alister Allan (1944- ) - Most successful Scottish competitor in the Commonwealth Games. He won three gold, three silver and four bronze at shooting. Also Olympic silver and bronze medals.
- Captain Robert Barclay Allardice (1779-1854) - The "Celebrated Pedestrian" he won 1,000 guineas in 1809 when he walked one mile each hour for a thousand hours.
- Tommy Armour (1894-1968) - Despite losing the sight of one eye during the First World War, won the British and US Open Golf Championships and the PGA Championship.
- Leslie Balfour-Melville (1854-1937) - A real all-rounder, he captained Scotland to victory over Australia at cricket in 1882, played rugby for Scotland and was British Amateur Golf Champion.
- Jim Baxter (1939-2001) - A legend of Rangers Football Club. Famously played "keepie-uppie" with the ball in an international in 1967 against England, the newly crowned World Champions. Scotland won 3-2.
- Ian Black (1941- ) - Won three European swimming titles and three medals at the Commonwealth Games in 1958. Voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
- Sir Chay Blyth (1940- ) - First to sail non-stop westward around the world, against the prevailing winds and currents.
- James Braid (1870-1950) - Winner of a record number of five Open Golf Championships between 1901 and 1910. One of the founders of the Professional Golfers' Association.
- Billy Bremner (1942-1997) - Played 773 times for Leeds United and won 54 caps playing for the Scotland football team. Yet he was first rejected by Arsenal and Chelsea as "too small."
- Ken Buchanan (1945- ) - Won the world lightweight boxing championship in 1970, the first Briton to do so since 1917.
- Sir Matt Busby (1909-1994) - Manager of Manchester United when they won the European Cup in 1968.
- Willie Carson (1942- ) - The first Scot to be Champion Jockey; he later won the title a second time.
- Dr John Cattanach - Scored a record number of eight goals in the shinty Camanachd Cup final in 1909, a record which stands to this day.
- Jim Clark (1936-1968) - Won 25 Grand Prix races and was F1 racing world champion twice.
- Kenny Dalglish (1951- ) - Won a record 103 international caps and equalled Denis Law's total of 30 international goals.
- Mike Denness (1940- ) - Capped for the Scotland cricket team ten times before joining Kent in 1962. He captained England's cricket team and scored over 25,000 runs.
- Donald Dinnie (1837-1916) - Dominated Highland Games from 1856-1876. He was so well-known that heavy artillery shells in the first world war were nicknamed "Donald Dinnies."
- Launceston Elliot (1874-1930) - The first Scottish Olympic medal winner. He won the gold in the one-handed weight-lifting and silver in the two-handed lift in 1896.
- John Greig (1942- ) - Captain of Rangers when they won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1972.
- Gavin Hastings (1962- ) - Captained the Scottish rugby team 20 times and was captain of the British Lions during the 1993 tour of New Zealand.
- Dougal Haston (1940-1977) - Along with Doug Scott, he was the first Briton to climb Everest (in 1975).
- Sir Peter Heatly (1924- ) - Self-taught, he was the Scottish diving champion every year from 1937 to 1958 and won three commonwealth gold medals.
- Andy Irvine (1951- ) - Brilliant attacking full-back who played 51 times for Scotland, 15 as captain.
- Jimmy Johnstone (1944- ) - A member of the Celtic team which lifted the European Cup in 1967 and one of Scotland's most entertaining footballers.
- Ellen King (1909-1994) - Won six British swimming championships, two world records and two silver medals in the 1928 Olympics.
- Denis Law (1940- ) - Outstanding career in football, he was the youngest to play for the Scotland team in the 20th century (aged 18 years and 356 days).
- Benny Lynch (1913-1946) - Won the world flyweight boxing title in 1935.
- Walter McGowan (1942- ) - World flyweight boxing champion. He was British and Commonwealth flyweight champion at the age of 20.
- Bobby McGregor (1944- ) - Won a Commonwealth Games silver medal and European Championships gold for swimming in 1966 and then broke his own world record for 110 yards.
- Bob McIntyre (1928-1962) - In 1957 he became the first man to lap the Isle of Man Senior Motorcycling TT mountain course at 100mph.
- Billy McNeil - Captained the "Lisbon Lions" - the Celtic team which was the first British football club to win the European Cup.
- GPS Macpherson (1903-1981) - Captain of the first Scotland rugby team to win the "Grand Slam". The title was clinched in 1925 by beating England at the newly opened Murrayfield stadium.
- Dick McTaggart (1935- ) - First British boxer to compete in three Olympic Games. He won gold for lightweight boxing at the Melbourne Games in 1956.
- Tom Morris (the younger) (1851-1875) - Competing as a professional golfer at the age of 13, he won four Open titles between 1868 and 1872.
- Mark Coxon Morrison (1878-1945) - Captained Scotland at rugby on 15 occasions in a 23-cap career.
- Jackie Paterson (1920-1966) - Won the world flyweight boxing title in 61 seconds, defeating Peter Kane in 1943.
- Rodney Pattison (1943- ) - Won two Olympic gold medals and one silver in the "Flying Dutchman" sailing competition.
- Nancy Riach (1927-1947) - Held 28 Scottish and British swimming records. She died at the age of 20 after contracting polio.
- Belle Robertson (1936- ) - Ladies Amateur Golf Champion in 1981 and helped Britain win the Davis Cup in 1986.
- Bill Shankly (1913-1981) - Manager of Liverpool when they won three English League titles.
- Robert Wilson Shaw (1913-1979) - Captain of the Scottish rugby team which won the Triple crown in 1938 and the star of the game against England which secured the title.
- Winnie Shaw (1947-1992) - Scotland's most successful tennis player, she reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 1970 and 1971 and the semi-final of the ladies' double in 1972.
- Jock Stein (1922-1985) - Manager of Celtic when they won the European Cup in 1967 and led the team to 10 League Championships (nine during his first nine years in charge), 8 Scottish Cups and 6 League Cups. Earlier he managed Dunfermline to a Scottish Cup, the first in that club's history.
- Ian Stewart (1949- ) - Winner of the 5,000 metres title in the 1970 Commonwealth Games, Olympic bronze in 1972 and world cross country championship.
- Sir Jackie Stewart (1939- ) - Three Formula One world champion racing championships and a passionate campaigner for racing car safety.
- Alan Wells (1952- ) - Olympic gold medal in Moscow for 100 metres; four gold medals at Commonwealth Games and the Golden Sprint title in 1981.
- David Wilkie (1954- ) - Olympic gold medal in the 200 metre breaststroke in a world record time and two Commonwealth titles.
- Jim Watt (1948- ) - World lightweight boxing champion in 1979. He successfully defended the title four times.
