Dick Donald born on this day in 1911 as important figure in Aberdeen's 120 history remembered
Aberdeen FC Pittodrie Stadium Gothenburg Greats Alex Ferguson His Majesty’s Theatre
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Donald had a brief spell playing for his boyhood club, but his lengthy spell as chairman oversaw the club's unprecedented success both domestically and in Europe in the late 1970s and early 1980s
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Aberdeen Live
One of the key figures in Aberdeen's history would have celebrated his 122nd birthday today, as Dick Donald's legacy at Pittodrie continues to grow. Donald was part of a family firm that controlled cinemas, theatres and dance halls throughout the city, but it was his lengthy association with his boyhood Dons that he was able to cement himself as a vital character in the club's history books.

Born as Richard MacNaughton Donald on 20 February 1911, he was the youngest of four sons born to father James F. Donald who ran a popular dancing academy in Aberdeen, which all of the sons would attend in their youth.

However Donald senior then branched out with his business, opening His Majesty's Theatre on Rosemount Viaduct, a chain of cinemas, and became owner of one of the city's ice rinks. Dick Donald soon became manager of one of the cinemas, but it was in two spells with Aberdeen FC as a professional footballer that his love of the club soon grew.

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Donald signed for the Reds in 1928, and then returned to the club in 1934 after a short stint with Dunfermline Athletic.

He remained at Pittodrie for another five years until the outbreak of the Second World War, and although he only made 19 appearances for the club across his two spells, Donald was described as a versatile player, who is believed to have played in every outfield position for the Dons.

As his own career as a businessman began to flourish, Donald re-joined Aberdeen as a board member in 1949, and helped oversee the club's first ever league title in 1955. In 1960 he became vice-chairman of the club, and then 10 years later was appointed as chairman, in the same year that the Reds lifted the Scottish Cup for the first time since 1947.

Another trophy in the form of the League Cup under manager Ally MacLeod arrived in 1977, but it was with Donald's decision to appoint Alex Ferguson as the new Aberdeen boss the following year, that the Pittodrie club would go onto the establish themselves as one of the finest teams in Europe over the next eight years.

Within two years of his arrival, the Reds were league champions again after a 25-year wait, whilst in the same year in 1980, Donald let efforts off the field to redevelop Pittodrie. He pushed through the move to make the ground the first all-seated, all-covered football ground in Britain, which quickly became the norm all around the country.

With his successful businesses away from football, Donald was able to provide Ferguson with the necessary backing to build his squad, and notable high profile signings such as Mark McGhee, Eric Black and Peter Weir who were all signed for substantial fees.

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Along with the more established players in the squad such as Willie Miller and the influx of young local stars like Neale Cooper and John Hewitt, Ferguson's Dons went onto lift the Scottish Cup once again in 1982, with a stunning 4-1 victory against Rangers in the final.

But it was in the following season that Donald and the club enjoyed their finest hour, as Aberdeen defied all the odds to lift the European Cup Winners' Cup. After defeating German giants Bayern Munich in the quarter finals and Belgian side Waterschei in the semi finals, the Reds faced a Real Madrid side in the showpiece final in Gothenburg, Sweden, that were packed with international stars such as strikers Juanito and Santillana.

However Ferguson's men were not fazed one bit, and took the lead through Eric Black's first half goal. Madrid soon equalised through Juanito, and with no further goals in normal time an additional thirty minutes was required to decide the winner.

And with eight minutes of the match remaining, Hewitt grabbed the most famous goal in Aberdeen's 120 year history to secure the trophy, heading home from McGhee's cross to pull off the unthinkable that night at the Ullevi Stadium.

The Dons also lifted the Scottish Cup again that season, but seven months later Aberdeen were then crowned as the best side on the continent, after defeating European Cup winners' Hamburg over two legs to be recognised as the best team in Europe. Aberdeen's two European trophies collected 40 years ago, still see them remain as the most successful Scottish club in major competitions on the continent.

But the success in Donald's tenure as chairman didn't stop there, as two more league titles, two more Scottish Cups and a League Cup triumph soon followed before Ferguson opted to leave for pastures new with Manchester United in 1986.

Chairman Donald was then tasked with the impossible task of trying to replace the legendary manager, and whilst his successor Ian Porterfield reached another cup final and qualified for Europe in two successive seasons, it wasn't until the 1989/90 season that Aberdeen got their hands on some silverware once again.

Even though his health was rapidly deteriorating, Donald's passion for the club remained strong, and more high profile signings including Hans Gilhaus, Charlie Nicholas and Theo Snelders showed that the chairman was desperate to see Aberdeen lift trophies once more.

And his appointment of Alex Smith and Jocky Scott as co-managers saw the Reds claim a superb domestic cup double in 1990, defeating Rangers in the League Cup final and then Celtic on penalties in the Scottish Cup final to rack up more trophies under Donald's astute leadership as chairman.

In the final three years of his life, Aberdeen were unable to lift any more trophies, despite two second place finishes under former skipper Miller, who was given the managerial hot seat.

Dick Donald then sadly passed away at the age of 82 on December 30, 1993 following a stroke and a battle with Alzheimer's disease, but not before one final project was completed to build a new two-tiered stand at Pittodrie at the cost of £4.5m.

Although Donald wasn't well enough to see the stand in person, the club decided to name the new section of the stadium as the "Richard Donald Stand" in tribute to his outstanding service to the club.

As well as being a successful businessman away from football, Donald was extremely popular with the managers at Aberdeen who worked under him, as well as with the club's fans who respected him as a real family man who always had the best interests of the Dons close to his heart.

In his autobiography written years later, Sir Alex Ferguson had this to say about his former chairman. "As a chairman, he was a colossus, and nobody had to tell me that I had little chance of ever working for his like again"

Ferguson's successor Porterfield died in 2007, but also previously heaped praise on Donald by recalling: "I have been all over the world, and worked with many different people including Nelson Mandela on the day of his inauguration, but one of the best men I ever met was Mr Dick Donald he epitomised what Aberdeen was all about."

On what would have been his 122nd birthday, Dick Donald continues to be a hugely celebrated figure in the Granite City from both football fans and the people of Aberdeen a like, and his name is likely to be forever associated with this part of the world.

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