Ferguson, Alex

Alex Ferguson, in full Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson, byname Fergie, (born December 31, 1941, Glasgow, Scotland), Scottish football (soccer) player and manager who was best known for managing Manchester United (1986–2013). Ferguson was the longest-tenured manager in “Man U” history and led the club to more than 30 domestic and international titles, including 13 Premier League championships, five Football Association (FA) Cup victories (1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, and 2004), and two Champions League titles (1999 and 2008).

At age 16 Ferguson joined the Scottish second-division football club Queen’s Park, playing as an amateur while also working in a Glasgow shipyard. His professional football career began in 1964, when he signed with first-division Dunfermline Athletic. Ferguson tied for the league lead in scoring by tallying 31 goals during the 1965–66 Scottish League season, and in 1967 he was transferred to his hometown Rangers for a then-record £65,000 fee. He was a solid if unspectacular player in two seasons with the Rangers and played for two other clubs before retiring in 1974.

Ferguson’s first managerial stint came shortly after he played his final match, when in the summer of 1974 he was hired to lead the Scottish second-division side East Stirlingshire. Just months later he moved to St. Mirren, which he would lead to a league championship in 1976–77. In 1978 he became the manager of Aberdeen FC. Under Ferguson’s guidance, Aberdeen experienced the greatest period of success in club history, winning three Scottish Premier Division (the country’s top league) titles (1979–80, 1983–84, and 1984–85), four Scottish Cups (1982, 1983, 1984, and 1986), and a European Cup Winners’ Cup (1983). Ferguson’s unprecedented achievements at Aberdeen led to managerial offers from some of the most prestigious clubs in Europe over the years, and he signed with Manchester in November 1986.

Man U was initially inconsistent under Ferguson’s guidance, finishing in 11th, 2nd, 11th, and 13th place in the first division of the Football League during his first four seasons with the club. He was widely reported to have been in danger of losing his job before Manchester salvaged the 1989–90 season by winning the FA Cup. That victory marked the beginning of the most successful managerial run in English football history, as Man U won eight Premier League (the successor to the first division) championships in the 11 seasons from 1992–93 to 2002–03, capturing three FA Cup titles as well. The highlight of this period came during the 1998–99 season, when—in addition to taking that season’s league championship and FA Cup—Manchester won the Champions League title to earn the first “treble” (victories in the domestic top-division league, a domestic cup, and a continental championship) in English football history. After going three years without a league championship, United won five Premier League titles in a seven-season span from 2006–07 to 2012–13, with a second Champions League win in 2008. Ferguson retired at the end of the 2012–13 Premier League season but stayed on with Man U in a front-office role and as a club ambassador.

Ferguson was named the Premier League Manager of the Year on 11 occasions. He released volumes of autobiography in 1999 and 2013. He was made Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1995 and was knighted in 1999.