He was the teenager with endless reserves of enthusiasm who was so determined to watch his beloved Scotland playing at Hampden that he jumped on his bike and cycled all the way down from Aberdeen to Glasgow in 1958.
Despite his heroes losing the match 4-0 to England, Joe McGunnigle travelled the world as an ambassador for the Tartan Army for the next 50-plus years, making friends wherever he went and whatever the result on the pitch.
His story was brought into sharp focus when he was one of the models chosen to appear at the “Brave” show, organised by charity organisation Friends of ANCHOR, at the Beach Ballroom in 2018.
And although he was fighting a battle with stage four head and neck cancer, one would never have guessed it from the sheer ebullience with which he sashayed on to the catwalk like a latter-day Twiggy at the age of 75.
Joe was the apple of his granddaughter’s eye – and, following his death at the beginning of 2020, Cassie McGunnigle decided to write a book about his lifelong love affair with the Scottish national team, attired as he always was in one of the world’s most famous tartan jackets, an item that now sits proudly in the SFA Museum in Glasgow.
He wasn’t just a supporter but an ardent coach, organiser and manager at the grassroots in his beloved Granite City.
The Cycle to Hampden chronicles his achievements with generations of Aberdeen kids in Woodside and how he persuaded the fabled Manchester United and Scotland star – and fellow Aberdonian – Denis Law to become honorary president of the club.
This twinkly-eyed little coiled spring of energy with a zest for life never relinquished his passion for the Dons or Scotland and made myriad friends across the globe on his magical mystery tour with the Tartan Army to five World Cups, from 1974 onwards, in the days when his compatriots used to qualify regularly for the finals of major tournaments.
Cassie has revealed how her ‘granda’ was invited into family homes for meals in Mexico and Japan, among other places, and how he distributed toys to children in some countries where poverty was rife.
Having grown up in Woodside without much money or privilege in his formative years, he was always keen to help others wherever he could.
That helps explain why, after his death, there were so many messages from fans in other nations who had met him, including a German who recalled: “I first bumped into Joe 15 years ago on a bus from Lithuania to Belarus, which he had organised to see the Scotland game in Minsk.
“It was always a pleasure to meet him or hear from him and we always had a good laugh together.
“You don’t find too many people with such a big heart as Joe had and he was just one of the good ones.”
Cassie, 24, who works for the ARCHIE Foundation, told me that she felt it was important to create a legacy to preserve his memory and she has done him proud in her book, which is being launched on March 26.
At different times, it is poignant, hilarious, insightful and packed with down-to-earth anecdotes about this inimitable character who responded to being told he had a rare cancer by saying: “Well, I am a rare specimen” as the prelude to enjoying a big plate of fish and chips at the Ashvale.
It was the last supper, but definitely not the last word from this super trouper.
Cassie said: “There are stories of my granda scattered across the world and I felt like it was my duty to compile them and honour them in a book for everyone to enjoy, and I now have an everlasting memory of him.
“My granda impacted so many lives, whether through his larger-than-life personality, through football or his battle with cancer.
“I love and miss my best friend every day, but Joe would not have wanted me to lie around and get depressed so I channelled my grief into two of my favourite things: writing and my beloved granda and amassing every piece of his magic in one place.
“Friends of ANCHOR had a special place in his heart and in mine as well.
“Watching him taking part in Brave was such an incredible journey and it allowed us as a family to focus on something much bigger than cancer itself – the bravery of all those who fight it.
“Seeing Granda up on the stage at the Beach Ballroom was by far the proudest I have felt of anybody in my entire life and I owe everything to FoA for providing him with that platform.
“This is my wee way of giving back to them and I know it’s what granda would have wanted as well.
“I’m also very grateful to the companies who backed this project such as Mission10, The Balmoral Bar and Lister’s. They really made a difference.”
Play Misty for Me
It’s a wonderful tribute to a much-cherished figure, who occasionally stumbled into scrapes such as the time when he and his teammates polished off a hearty meal, unaware that the food had been laid out for a wedding reception.
That caused a few cross words, but there was never any malice.
On the contrary, Joe was devoted to those close to him and the smile on his face when he was photographed at Aberdeen Beach with his beautiful little dog, Misty, by the Press & Journal’s Colin Rennie in 2018 is one of those images that sticks indelibly in my mind.
It struck a chord with everybody who saw it and reflected the fact that Joe was one of those indomitable souls who might have died but who has never really left us. And now, there is a record for posterity.
Take a bow, Cassie!
The book is on sale on Saturday at: thecycletohampden.co.uk/
