Jimmy was signed from East Stirling and went on to score 381 times in 420 games from 1929 to 1946 during which time he won nine League Championship medals, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups and was capped twice for Scotland. After his retiral from playing he continued to serve the club in coaching and scouting positions.
What follows is an article from a book of newspaper cuttings my auld Granda passed onto me to keep the flame that is Rangers FC burning bright.
This article must have been written around May 1943. And the score in the OF game mentioned was 4-2 to the Teddies at Hampden on April 29th.
I hope you enjoy this insight into one of our greatest ever servants.
THE GOVANHILL GUB
Lots of Smiths but few Jimmies
"Some five weeks ago, over a social glass, a Scottish sports journalist colleague and I, `half in jest and whole in earnest` as the saying goes picked what would have been our own forward line against England in the recent Hampden `national`, it read :- Delaney (Celtic) Smith (Rangers) Dodds (Blackpool) Wallace (Clyde) Caskie (Hibs)
Not the sort of quintet of course one could tip. The purist would insist that Smith isn't an inside forward, but a centre - though his `all over the shop` style makes that no real barrier. Wallace too is hinted to be persona non grata at Carlton Place.
But this off the record selection recurred to me at Hampden last Saturday, one week after the international when big Jimmy Smith was the outstanding factor in Rangers defeat of Celtic. He scored two glorious goals and laid on the `other two` not bad for one far past the first flower of soccer youth, who has been playing more in the second than the first X1 for some time past, coaching on the youngsters.
Long Service. For Jimmy is actually the second oldest player in service at Ibrox where he joined up after second division experience with East Stirlingshire 15 years ago last November. Dougie Gray can give him about two and a half years but he was signed a full season before Jerry Dawson.
Few players in my mind, have ever faced more unjust criticism than this lively veteran, from people who think that a man 6ft 1'' in height and about 14 stone in weight should apologise for his existence to less endowed opponents!
In fact it was just because of this physique that my friend and I took him in our `shadow team`. Anyone who has used his two eyes in recent years knows that the stalwart English defence tempers no wind to the shorn lamb. Sheer physical inferiority has been a really serious cause in our recent national decline.
A famous Rangers ex - colleague told me last Saturday that Smith is one of the cleverest players players he has ever seen, misunderstood by many spectators because he has a soccer sense of humour and an affection of the unothordox!
I agree. For a man of such height and weight Smith is one of the liveliest I've ever seen. He has a command of old fashioned dribbling that many do not credit him with, and a bag of tricks - a favourite is to pretend a devastating swipe and let the ball trickle on to a colleague - that is a constant joy. He has scored some of the finest goals in my gallery of memories.
Yes, my friend and I weren't so `daft` in our unofficial team. In the nature of things Jimmy Smith's career is wearing to an end. When he retires - which everyone hopes isn't for a year or two yet - Soccer will lose a real personality, at a time when personalities are all too few. And the dilatory goalkeeper will rejoice to see the end of a stalwart who knows the `possession` rule and isn't afraid to operate it"
By, John Bell.
NB - J.Smith was signed from East Stirlingshire in 1928. He is 6ft 1'' in hight and weighs in at 14 stone. He was a member of three Scottish Cup winning teams.