| Glasgow Rangers
first saw the light of day when four young Scotsmen, Peter
McNeil, Moses McNeil, Peter
Campbell and William McBeath joined forces to form their own football Club.
But it is 1873 that is recognised as the official start
date because that was when the club had its first official
meeting and club officials were elected.
In 1877 the club reached their first Scottish
Cup Final, losing 3-2 to Vale of Leven in a second
replay.
Rangers’ first taste of glory came in 1890/91 when
they finished top of the Scottish League on equal
points with Dumbarton, who shared the Championship with
the Glasgow side.
The club, which has played at its current Ibrox Stadium
[map] since 1899, then achieved success in the Scottish
Cup beating Celtic 3-1 in the 1894 final, Dumbraton 5-1
in 1897 and Kilmarnock 2-0 in 1898.
In the 1898/99 season Rangers won their first Championship in style by beating their opponents in all eighteen
of their games – a unique achievement. This was
the first of four successive title wins.
During the early 1900s archrivals Celtic dominated the
league but that all changed after World War I when Rangers
won the championship 15 times in 21 years. In 1927/28
they won the double for the first time.
In the years following World War II there was a new trophy
to play for, the Scottish League Cup and in the
1948/49 season Rangers became the first team to win the
treble – the League Championship, Scottish Cup and
the League Cup.
The blackest day in the club’s history came in 1971
when, following a derby match against Celtic, 66 people
died and 140 were injured in a terrifying crush.
Fortunately the following year, Rangers were able to lift
the sadness by winning the European Cup Winners’
Cup.
The 1975/76 season saw the advent of the Scottish Premier
League which the Rangers won at the first time of
asking. They also won the Scottish Cup and the League
Cup, a feat they repeated two years later.
But following manager Jock Wallace’s resignation in 1978 (and then again in 1986 after a short
second stint as manager) the club’s supply of honours
dried up until the arrival of Graham Souness as manager and David Murry as Chairman
in 1986.
Between 1989 and 1997, first under Souness and then with
Walter Smith as his replacement, the club won
the title nine times in succession.
The silverware has continued to roll in since then with Rangers winning the Championship in 1999, 2000, 2003 and 2005, and the Scottish Cup in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003.
You can now enjoy a tour of the Ibrox Stadium , including
the dressing room, pitch and trophy room, to learn more
about the club and the team.
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