External links
- Ronnie Coyle at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
- Ronnie Coyle at Soccerbase
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ronald Paul Coyle [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 4 August 1964 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 12 April 2011 (aged 46) | ||
| Place of death | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) [2] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Celtic | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1984–1987 | Celtic | 2 | (0) |
| 1986 | → Clyde (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 1987 | Middlesbrough | 3 | (0) |
| 1987–1988 | Rochdale | 24 | (1) |
| 1988–1996 | Raith Rovers | 253 | (9) |
| 1996–1997 | Ayr United | 34 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | Albion Rovers | 12 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | East Fife | 26 | (0) |
| 1999 | Queen's Park | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 362 | (10) | |
| International career | |||
| 1980 | Scotland schoolboys [3] | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ronnie Coyle (4 August 1964 – 12 April 2011) [3] was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a defender.
Coyle was born in Glasgow and educated at St. Gerard's Secondary School. [3] Coyle played for Celtic Boys Club and the Scotland Under-15 schoolboy honours team, alongside, among others, Paul McStay, John Robertson and Ally Dick, which defeated England 5–4 in 1980. [3]
Coyle began his professional career as a youngster with Celtic. [3] After just two appearances and a loan period with Clyde, Coyle had a brief spell with Middlesbrough before moving to Rochdale. [3]
After a year with Rochdale, Coyle moved to Kirkcaldy club Raith Rovers in 1988. [3] In his eight years with Rovers, Coyle won two First Division titles and a League Cup, also playing in Raith's only season in Europe. After helping Rovers secure a mid-table finish in the Premier Division, Coyle moved on to Ayr United, where he spent a season before similar spells with Albion Rovers and East Fife. Coyle finished his career with Queen's Park.
Coyle – who moved out of football and worked in sales and marketing back in his native Glasgow – was part of a number of former Raith players who lent his weight to the 'Reclaim the Rovers' campaign, taking part in a fundraising walk in the summer of 2005. [4]
In April 2009 Coyle was diagnosed with a form of leukaemia for which he was admitted to the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. On 27 March 2011 Raith Rovers hosted a benefit match for him involving their 1994 Coca-Cola Cup winning team and the Celtic runners-up team with Celtic coming out on top 4–2 on penalties after a 3–3 draw. [5] Coyle died just weeks later on 12 April 2011 from the disease he had battled. [6] He was survived by his wife Joan and their three children, Kevin, Briony and Georgia.
