Jimmy Calderwood, former Aberdeen and Dunfermline Athletic manager, passed away at the age of 69. In 2017, Calderwood was diagnosed with early onset dementia, three years after he finished his managerial post with Dutch side De Graafschap. The Scottish coach led Dunfermline to promotion from the Scottish second tier in 2000 and they achieved a record fourth-place finish in the top flight four years later. Calderwood’s Aberdeen team famously drew with Bayern Munich in the 2007-08 Uefa Cup.
Calderwood, who started his career as a midfielder, won an apprentice contract with Birmingham City in 1971, and went on to make more than 150 senior appearances. The Scottish coach spent most of his playing and coaching career in the Netherlands, playing for Sparta Rotterdam, Willem II, Roda JC, and Hercales, where he retired in 1989 and became a coach. His first managerial appointment was in 1996 when he was promoted to an assistant’s position at Willem II before moving to NEC Nijmegen a year later.
Calderwood returned home to Scotland as Dunfermline appointed him as their manager in 1999. During his five years at East End Park, Calderwood won promotion from the second tier behind St Mirren in his first season. Later in the top division, Calderwood’s side finished from ninth place, to sixth, then fifth, qualifying for the Uefa Cup, before earning a club-best fourth position in 2004, and losing the Scottish Cup final to Celtic. Calderwood moved north and spent another five years at Pittodrie with Aberdeen where the Dons finished third in the league in the 2006-07 season, which was their highest placing in 21 years, and claimed European football.
Calderwood’s Aberdeen team reached the last 32 Uefa Cup run during the (2007-08) campaign. Aberdeen drew Bayern Munich, and, after a storied 2-2 draw at Pittodrie, they were swatted aside in the return leg. Calderwood left Aberdeen in 2009 and after taking over at Rugby Park in January 2010, he kept Kilmarnock in the top flight. He oversaw Ross County’s Challenge Cup win a year later and then returned to the Netherlands with Go Ahead Eagles. In August 2017, Calderwood revealed his dementia diagnosis in a bid to raise awareness of the condition
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