Deans was a prolific striker who played for Motherwell and Celtic during the 1960s and 1970s. He was capped twice by Scotland and won six major trophies with Celtic. He earned his “Dixie” nickname for his incredible goal-scoring feats, including scoring 60 goals in a single season.
He started his career at Neilston Juniors before moving to Motherwell in 1965, where he scored 89 goals in 198 games and helped the club win the Second Division title in 1968–69.
Celtic manager Jock Stein signed him in 1971 despite his reputation for picking up red cards. At Celtic, his discipline improved and he formed a strong partnership with Kenny Dalglish.
Deans scored hat-tricks in the 1972 Scottish Cup final and the 1974 League Cup final, both against Hibernian. He is also remembered for missing a key penalty in Celtic’s 1972 European Cup semi-final shootout loss to Inter Milan.
He later played for Luton Town, Adelaide United, Carlisle United and Partick Thistle before retiring in 1980.
Both Motherwell and Celtic paid tribute to Deans, praising his goal-scoring ability and expressing their condolences to his family and friends.
