Quick Facts
Biography
John Legat Bain BEM (1923–2019) was a Scottish football player, manager and chairman for Ferranti Thistle and Meadowbank Thistle (the predecessor clubs of Livingston).
Club career
Bain left the Royal Navy in 1952 to become a planning engineer with high-tech firm Ferranti in his home city of Edinburgh.
He joined the company’s football team Ferranti Thistle and starred as a left-back. He played until he was 40, and was convinced to take over as manager.
He then became chairman for 15 years before being convinced to step back in as manager when the club was renamed Meadowbank Thistle and joined the Scottish Football League in 1974.
Bain remained involved with the team, which changed its name in 1995 to accompany a relocation to Almondvale Stadium in Livingston, West Lothian, as the team’s honorary vice-president.
Personal life and death
Bain retired in 1980. He was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 1988 New Year Honours. He died in Livingston in 2019, at the age of 95.
Honours
Ferranti Thistle
- Scottish Qualifying Cup: 1962–63