jimmy o’rourke Obituary, Death – I was saddened to learn of the loss of one of the best footballers in the history of Hibernians. Jimmy O’Rourke (Rupert), he was a member of one of the best teams to have come out of Scotland, but they were unable to bring home as many trophies as they deserved. He was a valuable member of a team that included Alan Gordon, Alex Edwards, Pat Stanton, Arthur Duncan, and Alex Cropley, all of whom were entertaining to watch. O’Rourke made his debut at the age of 16 and played at Easter Road from 1962 until 1974.
He finished his career with 122 goals scored in 325 games played, including the game-winning goal in Hibs’ 1972 League Cup final victory and a brace in the famous 7-0 demolition of Hearts at Tynecastle on January 1, 1973. He also scored the winner in Hibs’ 1973 Scottish Cup final victory. In addition to ranking ninth on the list of all-time leading scorers for Hibs, he scored a hat trick during a 6-1 victory over Sporting Lisbon. He was the youngest player for the club until the year 2004, and he still holds the record for scoring a goal at the youngest age, which was 16 years and 88 days old.
Following the controversial signing of Joe Harper, O’Rourke was released from his contract with Hibs and went on to play two seasons for St. Johnstone and another two seasons for Motherwell before coming back to Hibs as a coach. According to a statement released by the Hibernian Football Club, “Everyone at Hibernian Football Club is devastated at the loss of Jimmy, a genuine Hibs man and an icon of Easter Road.”
