KERR John “Jerry”
Born. West Lothian 1912 Died. Dundee 8.11.99

Jerry Kerr was the manager who turned Dundee United from a struggling 2nd Division club into a top flight European team. He was the longest serving manager in Scottish football in the 1960s and was credited with laying the foundations which saw United reach two European finals in the 1980s. He left the club in 1971 after nearly 13 years at the club.

He started his career in football as a full back with his native Armadale at the age of 15 and played with Rangers, Alloa, and St Bernard’s (where he really rose to prominence as a player and played in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup) before joining Dundee United in 1939. However the outbreak of war disrupted his United playing career, resulting in him making only 4 League and 5 Emergency War Cup appearances for the club before being called up at the end of 1939 to serve in the Army.

After taking part in the Normandy landings, he was demobbed in 1946 and rejoined Rangers. He did not figure in the Rangers first team and he began to turn to coaching. He took his first steps towards his new career when he accepted the position of player-manager of Peebles Rovers. He stayed with the East of Scotland League club for 5 years, playing until the age of 41. He then had his first spell managing a Scottish League club when he took charge of Berwick Rangers and led them to a famous Scottish Cup victory over Dundee.

He followed this, between 1936 to 1959, by managing Alloa (where he discovered John White, who later blossomed into an outstanding international star with Spurs) before being approached to become full time manager at Tannadice. United were then a struggling 2nd Division club who had gone through five managers in as many years. In less that one year under Jerry Kerr, the club were in the 1st Division and crowds had doubled.

They retained there place in the top division and attendances doubled once again. The improvements were manifest in the club’s European qualifications for Europe in 1966, 1969 and 1970. During his time in charge at Dundee United, Kerr was credited with starting the Scandinavian era at Tannadice bringing in Orjan Person, Finn Dossing, Mogens Berg and Lennart Wing.

In 1971 he resigned as manager, being replaced by Jim McLean, and took on the post of General manager for two years.

After a brief period as a scout with West Bromwich Albion, in 1974, he returned to management with Forfar and spent two years in that role. From 1978 to 1984, he worked as part-time office manager and youth coach at Dundee.