Remembering Legendary Captain Ron Yeats

Ron Yeats, who captained Liverpool over 400 times, has sadly passed away at the age of 86.  The Legendary defender was a key part of Bill Shankly's all-conquering team of the 1960's, and went on to make 454 appearances for the Reds in all competitions.

Yeats had been living with Alzheimer's Disease for nearly 8 years, although it was only made public backing January 2024, and passed away peacefully on the morning of September 7th, 2024.

Liverpool Football Club has confirmed that club Legend, Ron Yeats, has passed away at the age of 86.

The Scottish defender formed an integral part of Liverpool's defence during the 1960s, helping the club gain promotion from the Second Division, before winning two First Division Titles, The FA Cup, and three Charity Shields, as Bill Shankly built LFC into one of England's greatest clubs.

Shankly described Yeats as a "Colossus", after signing him from Dundee United in the summer of 1961, and immediately made him Club captain.  It was a role the imposing central defender would retain for 8 seasons, racking up over 400 appearances as Captain, and making 454 appearances in total.

As a new decade dawned, Shankly began a revamp of the Liverpool squad, with Yeats and several other veteran players moved on.  Despite this, Yeats enjoyed further success as a player/manager with Tranmere Rovers, before spending a season in America with the Los Angeles Skyhawks.

By the 1980s Yeats was back living in Liverpool, and in 1986, he became the club's Chief Scout.  It was a role he was to retain until his retirement in May 2006.

To this day, only Steven Gerrard has made more appearances as Liverpool Captain than Yeats, and his 454 total appearances mean he currently sits 22nd on the Liverpool all-time appearance list.

Everyone at LFC - Back On Our Perch sends their condolences to his family and friends, and would like to take this opportunity to thank Ron for his decades of loyalty and service to Liverpool Football Club.

If you would like to learn more about Ron Yeats and other Liverpool Legends, visit the 'Legends' section of our website, or look out for our new 'Liverpool Legends Podcast', which will be available in the coming months!

Ron Yeats Stats and Records

• Signed for LFC in 1961 for £22,000 from Dundee United
• Installed as Captain by Bill Shankly in his first season
• 454 appearances for LFC
• Over 400 appearances as Captain
• Scored 16 goals
• Won Second Division Title in 1961/62
• Won First Division Title in 1963/64 and 1965/66
• Won the FA Cup in 1965
• Spent 20 years as LFC's Chief Scout

Remembering Ron Yeats

"Ron is one of the all-time greats of this club, without a shadow of a doubt.  He was captain of this team when I first watched Liverpool in the mid-1960s and I was very fortunate to get to know the great man.  He was a great footballer as well and was our first captain to lift the FA Cup at Wembley in 1965.

He actually scouted me when I was at Oxford United, so I will be forever grateful to him for that.  I'll never forget as I walked through the main reception, the day I was getting introduced to the media, Ron was the first one there to shake my hand and it was just an honour to meet him.

He was an absolutely brilliant bloke, loved a laugh as well, and one of the greatest captains we have ever had."

Former Reds striker, John Aldridge

"A giant of a man and a giant of a player!"

Former Reds defender, Jamie Carragher

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