EXCLUSIVE: Hall of Fame honour for Aghadowey Old Firm star

For the former Old Firm star, who was born on the outskirts of Coleraine, has been inducted into the Glasgow Rangers Hall of Fame.

English was one of three 2009 inductees, along with Harold Davis and Stefan Klos, who have been recognised for the contributions they made during their spells at Ibrox.

Sam's tally of 44 league goals in a single season (1931/32) is still an Ibrox record, but his achievements were overshadowed by a tragic accident in 1931 when he was involved in a clash with Celtic goalkeeper John Thompson, who suffered serious injuries to his skull, and died a few hours later.

Over eight decades after his stellar achievements, Sam's name will appear on the Hall of Fame next to other Ibrox greats like Stuart McCall, Ali McCoist and Jorg Albertz.

English is one of only three Northern Irish footballers to appear in the Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame was established back in 2000 by Ibrox Chairman, Sir David Murray, who wanted to honour the club's most notable players.

What is so special about the Rangers Hall of Fame, is that the fans vote on who should be elected to this elite club.

Sandy Jardine, speaking on behalf of the Hall of Fame committee, told Times Sport: "Unfortunately Sam did not play for the club for a long time. He only played 82 games and scored something like 71 goals.

"He is the record goalscorer in one season for Rangers and because of that we've included him in the Hall of Fame.

"There's no doubt that if he hadn't been in the tragic accident with John Thomson, he would have stayed at Ibrox a lot longer. The unfortunate circumstances surrounding what happened led to his departure but we felt we had to recognise his achievement of scoring more goals than anyone in a season."

Last March, Sam's family returned to Aghadowey, where a plaque was unveiled to mark the player's birthplace.

The plague marked the centenary celebrations, which also saw Rangers supporters presenting the club with a Sam English Bowl, which will be presented to the highest goalscorer each season.