What would it take to tempt a footballer into the lion's den? A gold medal was on offer for those who were brave enough, and no fewer than five Scots were up for the challenge.
   In a curious sideline to some research I was doing about internationalists, the same story came up several times over three decades. I decided to bring the players together for the first time.

The first was Liverpool captain Andy Hannah, the Scotland internationalist. He had just led his team to a 2-1 victory over Notts County in November 1893 and for his Saturday night entertainment he went to the circus which was pitched right outside Anfield. For a bet he went into the cage and the promoters gave him a gold medal.
   There does seem to have been an arrangement at the circus for customers to show their bravery by going into the cage and touching one of the lions, even pulling its tail. Quite how brave you had to be is open to question, and it is likely the lions were doped or restrained, but it was good publicity when someone famous did the trick.
   It was not until 1908 that another footballer took up the challenge, and this time it was Billy Fulton, who had played for Sunderland, Derby County and Bristol City. He was now running a pub in his native Alloa, and just like Hannah he was awarded a gold medal. What is more, he repeated the feat in 1910 the next time the circus came to town, this time with five lions in the cage, to collect a second medal!

Just a couple of weeks after Fulton's exploit, Bobby Templeton of Kilmarnock (and formerly of Newcastle and Celtic) agreed in advance to attend the circus, which allowed Bostock & Wombwell to advertise in advance. He played for his club against Celtic in Glasgow then hurried back to Kilmarnock where, in front of a crowded house he calmly patted the lion on the back and turned its tail, to widespread applause. It has to be said that the local paper commented 'the animal seemed to be quite unconscious of the honour which was being conferred upon it'.

The final act of 'bravery' came in 1922 with not one, but two, goalkeepers. Jimmy Brownlie of Third Lanark and Charlie Shaw of Celtic visited the menagerie next to Kelvin Hall and under the watchful eye of the trainer they both went into the cage together. According to one report they were photographed with the lion but I have yet to find any photos which record this event, or any of the previous acts.

And what of the gold medals? None have come to light, as far as I know, but they do appear to have been genuine. I found the photos below from another excursion into the lion's den in 1907 (which you can read about here). The medal is hallmarked as gold, and suitable engraved, so it does seem that Wombwell's had a stock of medals to reward the rare person brave enough to face the lions.

If you want to read more about the Bostock and Wombwell menagerie, I can point you to a couple of fascinating articles. One is on the Arthur Lloyd site about the Scottish zoo, another on the National Library of Scotland about travelling zoos.
   And if anyone does have any photos of footballers with lions, or a medal, or can tell me about more examples (surely it was not only Scottish players?), please get in touch through my contacts page. 

I have just added to my collection of digitised sports books with this 1930 history of the Scottish Football League. It was written by John McCartney, who had just retired from a long career in football as player and manager.
   You can read this book by clicking on the cover image above to download a pdf, or visit my Digitised books and articles page where you can read a wide range of rare material.
   In the light of recent controversy about the league's organisation and its member clubs, McCartney's interesting account makes it clear that discord and argument are nothing new, in fact they have been a feature of Scottish football since the beginning.
   He was able to speak from long personal experience as a player and manager on both sides of the border. His playing career included Rangers, Cowlairs, Newton Heath (Manchester United), Luton Town and Barnsley, where he first went into management. He continued his managerial career with St Mirren, Hearts, Portsmouth and Luton Town before ill health forced his retiral.

His 48 page book has a number of excellent illustrations, notably the panoramic stadium views of Hampden Park, seen here packed to capacity, as well as Ibrox and Tynecastle.

McCartney also drew, from memory, this image of the original pavilion at Renton FC when they were founders of the Scottish League in 1890. It was a bittersweet moment for the Dunbartonshire club, who had been declared 'World Champions' two years earlier, as they were summarily ejected from the League for professionalism after just five matches.

Even the adverts are interesting, such as this one from Paddy Crossan's Bar in Edinburgh city centre. Crossan was a legendary former Hearts player who saw active service in WW1. The pub retained his name for many years after his death in 1933.