| Alex Hair | |
| Fullname: | Alexander Hair |
| Height: | 5ft 6in |
| Position: | Centre forward |
| Birth Date: | 9 March 1898 |
| Birth Place: | Glasgow,Scotland |
| Death Place: | Bishopbriggs, Scotland |
| Years1: | – |
| Clubs1: | Strathclyde |
| Years2: | 1923–1928 |
| Clubs2: | Partick Thistle |
| Caps2: | 91 |
| Goals2: | 78 |
| Years3: | 1924–1925 |
| Clubs3: | → Queen of the South (loan) |
| Caps3: | 19 |
| Goals3: | 19 |
| Years4: | 1925–1926 |
| Clubs4: | → Third Lanark (loan) |
| Caps4: | 5 |
| Goals4: | 2 |
| Years5: | 1926 |
| Clubs5: | → Alloa Athletic (loan) |
| Caps5: | 15 |
| Goals5: | 17 |
| Years6: | 1926 |
| Clubs6: | → Bo'ness (loan) |
| Years7: | 1928–1930 |
| Clubs7: | Preston North End |
| Caps7: | 45 |
| Goals7: | 20 |
| Years8: | 1930–1931 |
| Clubs8: | Shelbourne |
| Caps8: | 22 |
| Goals8: | 29 |
| Years9: | 1931–1932 |
| Clubs9: | Colwyn Bay United |
| Years10: | 1932–1934 |
| Clubs10: | Worcester City |
| Years11: | 1934–1935 |
| Clubs11: | Burton Town |
| Manageryears1: | 1932–1934 |
| Managerclubs1: | Worcester City |
| Manageryears2: | 1935–1936 |
| Managerclubs2: | Shirley Town |
Alexander Hair (9 March 1898 – 31 May 1970)[1] was a Scottish footballer who played as a centre forward.
Born in Glasgow and nicknamed 'Sandy', he joined Partick Thistle in 1923[2] from local Junior club Strathclyde, where he had become a prolific goalscorer. By that time he was 25 years of age, relatively old to join a senior club; however, many sources record his birth date as 9 March 1902, and contemporary documents also show a younger age than he truly was, suggesting the player himself may have been aware of this inaccuracy.[1] After loan spells in lower divisions at Queen of the South, Third Lanark, Alloa Athletic and Bo'ness[1] he established himself with the Jags, scoring 41 goals in 36 Scottish Football League appearances during the 1926–27 season[1] [2] (however, Jimmy McGrory of Celtic scored 48 to claim the top scorer award – neither Partick nor Celtic challenged for the league title), plus another five goals in a Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup final victory against Rangers at the end of that campaign.[3] [1]
Hair joined Preston North End for the 1928–29 season for a £2,200 transfer fee.[1] He scored 19 goals in his first season at Deepdale, but lost his first team place and was placed on the 'open to transfer' list, meaning a new club within Britain would have to pay Preston's desired fee of £1000.[1] After moving to Irish football where the regulation did not apply, in the 1930–31 season Hair set the record for most league goals scored by a Shelbourne player in one season with a tally of twenty-nine in just twenty-two matches.[4] This prolific scoring helped Shelbourne win their third League of Ireland title.
Hair returned to Britain to play for Colwyn Bay United of the Birmingham and District League,[1] and then served Worcester City as player-manager, Burton Town as a player and Shirley Town as manager.[1] He later worked as an engineer in Scotland, including at Sir William Arrol & Co.[1]