He was the Scottish football team’s first ever manager, and the coach who plucked a young Denis Law from kicking a ball in the Granite City streets to set him on the path to greatness.
And now one of the north-east’s most famous footballing sons is likely to be immortalised with a new street name.
Councillors on Aberdeenshire Council’s Garioch area committee will be asked to approve the name Andy Beattie Way for a new street in the Midmar business park, Kintore.
Born in the town in 1913, the future internationalist was employed as a quarryman at the Inverurie Loco Works before he went onto play for the associated football club.
The fullback was signed up for Preston North End, where he played alongside the likes of future Liverpool manager Bill Shankly in the club’s famous side of the 1940s.
However wartime service was to curtail his career and he would make just 127 appearances for the Lilywhites.
He was also capped for Scotland six times before going on to become a successful manager with the national side, Huddersfield Town and Nottingham Forest, among others.
The road, which runs off Midmill Avenue in the business park, is newly built and the developer had put forward Toftshills Avenue.
However, Councillor Glen Reid felt the new name should be a lasting tribute to a local sporting hero.
A report which will be discussed by councillors on Tuesday states: “Formal contact has been made with Mr Beattie’s family and they have agreed to the use of his name for street naming purposes.”
The committee will be asked to give final approval to the name choice when it meets on Tuesday.
