Hird was born in Colne on 11 February 1955, and grew up as a Burnley fan.[3]
Career
Hird developed through Blackburn Rovers's youth academy, joining as an apprentice in October 1970 and turning professional in February 1973.[4] He made his first team debut for the club towards the end of the 1973–74 season.[4] He was overlooked during the 1974–75 season as Blackburn were promoted from the Third Division as champions, but featured more frequently the following season.[4] Having started his career as a right-sided midfielder, he was successfully converted into a right back during the 1976–77 season by manager Jim Smith.[4]
Hird signed for First Division club Leeds United in March 1979 for a fee of £357,000, a record fee for both clubs and the highest fee paid for a full-back in British football at the time.[3][4] At Leeds, he was again used both as a midfielder and as a right back, and was noted for his "eye-catching" dribbling skills.[3] He was Leeds' top scorer for the 1979–80 season, albeit with just 8 goals, and held the responsibility of penalty-taker for three seasons.[5] In total, he made 200 appearances for Leeds and scored 21 goals.[3]
In summer 1984, Hird joined Third Division club Burnley.[4] He scored 16 league goals in his first season at the club as they were relegated to the Fourth Division.[3][4] He remained at the club for a further season before joining non-league Colne Dynamoes.[4]
Personal life
In January 2008, Hird was accused of police assault after allegedly slapping a female police officer across the face after urinating in the street.[6] Hird admitted to the charge, and was conditionally discharged for six months and ordered to pay £60 costs.[7]
References
^"Kevin Hird". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 6 November 2020.