Ernest Andrew McGarr, born 9 March 1944, Glasgow, Scotland.
PART ONE
Bernie McGarr´s childhood was shaped not only by ambition but by lineage, because his father, Ernest McGarr senior, had once guarded the net for Carlisle United F.C. in the 1930s, and the family name already carried the scent of liniment and mud.
He attended Govan High School, where two years ahead of him walked a fiery teenager called Alex Ferguson, and although their paths would later cross in Scottish football’s tight circles, at that time they were simply boys from the same city chasing similar dreams. In addition, McGarr cut his teeth at the Harmony Row youth club, a breeding ground of talent where hard tackles were common and reputations were earned the old-fashioned way.
Interestingly, he did not begin life between the sticks but as a centre-half, using his height and broad shoulders to dominate defensively, yet fate intervened when the regular goalkeeper failed to show and the tallest lad was told to put on the gloves. However, what began as a makeshift solution quickly became a calling, because McGarr discovered he relished the responsibility and the spotlight, even if his father muttered darkly that it was “a terrible job” and one he wished his son had avoided.
Building upon that switch, McGarr joined junior side Kilbirnie Ladeside and honed the reflexes and bravery that would later define his professional years, and those afternoons on rough pitches toughened him in ways academy drills never could. Moreover, word of his performances travelled north, and in 1965 Aberdeen manager Eddie Turnbull brought him to Pittodrie, offering the 21-year-old his first taste of senior football.
At Aberdeen F.C. he found himself understudy to Bobby Clark, a seasoned keeper with international pedigree, and early appearances were scarce because Turnbull trusted the man he knew from Queen’s Park. Nevertheless, McGarr absorbed everything, trained fiercely and waited, understanding that patience in a goalkeeper is not weakness but preparation.
His competitive debut came on 21 October 1967 in a 2–1 defeat to Heart of Midlothian F.C., and although the result stung, stepping onto that stage signalled that the apprenticeship was ending. However, it was the 1968–69 season that truly altered his trajectory, because after a 6–2 defeat to Hibernian dented Clark’s standing, Turnbull turned to McGarr for steadiness and steel.
As a result, McGarr became first-choice and helped Aberdeen avoid relegation from the Scottish First Division, and while the dressing room atmosphere was tense and conversations minimal, the goalkeeper’s composure began to ripple outward. Furthermore, Turnbull’s innovative methods – including forcing his goalkeepers to play outfield in training to understand team dynamics – sharpened McGarr’s awareness and improved his distribution, and that tactical education would serve him well in the seasons to follow.
International recognition came in 1969, when manager Bobby Brown handed him a start against the Republic of Ireland on 21 September at Dalymount Park, and although the match ended 1–1, McGarr’s debut lasted only 35 minutes due to a dead leg aggravated from the previous day’s club match. Nevertheless, he had stood alongside captain John Greig and midfield dynamo Billy Bremner, and for a Glasgow lad that alone carried weight.
On 5 November 1969 he earned his second cap in a World Cup qualifier against Austria in Vienna, a 2–0 defeat rendered meaningless as Scotland were already eliminated. Still, playing the full 90 minutes in a competitive international marked a personal summit, and even if his tally stopped at two caps, the pride never dimmed.
The 1969–70 campaign saw Aberdeen surge to the Scottish Cup Final, however, and McGarr featured prominently in the run, contributing to a side growing in confidence and cohesion. Yet football can be cruel, and although Aberdeen lifted the Scottish Cup in 1970 – their first since 1943 – McGarr did not play in the final itself, and the glow of triumph was tinged with personal frustration.
Consequently, Turnbull signed Gerry Neef from Rangers soon after, and McGarr’s path at Pittodrie narrowed once more, prompting him to consider his future. Over six years with Aberdeen he made 115 league appearances, and although not every season was smooth, he left having proven he could command a top-flight defence and shoulder the pressure.
Off the pitch, McGarr forged a bond with Joe Harper and Derek McKay, a trio dubbed “The Three Degrees” for their tight friendship and occasional disregard for curfews after postponed matches. Nevertheless, professional ambition eventually outweighed camaraderie, and on 16 January 1971 he transferred to Dunfermline Athletic F.C. seeking regular football.
PART TWO
Dunfermline were locked in a relegation battle in the 1970–71 season, finishing 16th with 23 points and surviving by goal difference ahead of St Mirren, and Ernie McGarr’s presence between the posts proved vital. However, the following 1971–72 campaign ended in relegation, and despite his 34 appearances across competitions, the struggling club slid to the Second Division, underscoring how even strong individual displays cannot always arrest collective decline.
Yet footballers are human first and professionals second, and during that period McGarr formed a close friendship with winger Alex Edwards, culminating in a 3,000-mile family road trip to southern Spain in a cramped Volkswagen Beetle. Moreover, those shared miles reflected a dressing room that, despite results, retained warmth and loyalty, qualities often hidden from supporters scanning only league tables.
Building upon that chapter, McGarr moved on to East Fife F.C. in 1972 in a swap deal involving striker Joe Hughes, and the five-year stint that followed would become the most defining stretch of his goalkeeping career in terms of individual legend.
On 17 February 1973, Bayview hosted a Scottish League Division One match against Celtic that would enter folklore, and while snow swept across the country and fixtures fell like dominoes, this was the only top-flight game to survive the freeze. Furthermore, beneath the pitch lay 14 feet of sand, an accidental secret weapon that allowed the surface to hold firm while others succumbed to ice.
Celtic were awarded not one but three penalties in a dramatic 2–2 draw, and McGarr saved them all – first tipping Bobby Murdoch’s effort onto the bar, then denying Harry Hood with his foot, and finally parrying a late strike from Kenny Dalglish. Consequently, even Celtic manager Jock Stein entered the East Fife dressing room to praise him personally, suggesting the display merited a Scotland recall, and McGarr later admitted he was close to tears.
Across five seasons he made 119 league appearances for East Fife, anchoring a side that punched above its weight and refused to be bullied. Undoubtedly, those Bayview afternoons cemented his reputation as flamboyant yet fearless, a goalkeeper who could transform routine saves into theatre without sacrificing effectiveness.
In 1977, at 33, McGarr signed for Cowdenbeath F.C. and enjoyed a renaissance during the 1977–78 Second Division season, making 39 appearances and inspiring terrace chants at Central Park. Moreover, his acrobatic style and willingness to throw himself full length for every save endeared him to supporters who valued effort as much as elegance.
Such form attracted attention, and in 1978 he moved to Airdrieonians F.C. for £6,000, where over two seasons he made 75 appearances and provided seasoned reliability in the lower tiers. However, time is relentless, and by 1980 he joined Berwick Rangers F.C. for a final professional season, featuring six times before stepping away from senior football.
After leaving Berwick, he drifted into junior football with Leven Juniors, Oakley United and St Andrews United, sharing dressing rooms with former Celtic talent George Connelly and embracing the game at a different tempo. Moreover, his professional tally stood at 312 league appearances, a solid body of work for a man who never sought headlines but often stole them.