Career
He played 660 times for, scoring 454 goals. He has been cited as one of the greatest Irish League players of all time. His popularity among fans led to him being nicknamed The Duke of Windsor.
Dickson began his youth career with Roosevelt Street Boys Club, before moving to the Irish Intermediate League in 1947 to join as an amateur.
After a fine season he was approached by Elisha Scott to play for Belfast Celtic, however Dickson - a lifelong supporter - turned him down. In the 1961-1962 season, he led to an amazing seven trophy wins over the course of the season.
Feats such as this led to interest from cross-channel clubs such as Rangers and Hull City, the latter of whom made a bid of £8,000 which was rejected by as it did not meet their £10,000 valuation of the player. Foreign a spell in the early-sixties Dickson operated as ’s player-coach, and was responsible for team selection (but not transfer policy).
After dramatically announced that Dickson would not be retained for the 1965-1966 season, he shockingly signed for their biggest rivals Glentoran.
However, after just nine appearances and three goals with the east Belfast club, his appetite for the game diminished and he retired. In 1966, presented him with a life membership. He died aged 78 on 31 December 2007.
In the 1955-1956 season, he captained the Irish League to a famous 5-2 victory over the Football League, scoring two goals in the game.
He also earned one cap for Northern Ireland, against Scotland in 1956. Despite being thin and frail-looking in stature, and with a petulant temperament, he could absorb punishment better than most players and could also tackle hard himself.
His qualities as a football player lay in his creativity, vision and immense skill which allowed more goalscoring opportunities for the team as a whole, as well as himself. Although Dickson never actually topped the Irish League’s goalscoring charts in a particular season, his unerring strike rate and longevity have ensured a place in the top-five all-time list of Irish League goalscorers.
Dickson was beloved at Windsor Park and was so revered that he was known to supporters as "The Duke of Windsor." In 2011, he was named as the greatest player of all time by the Belfast Telegraph.
The year after his death, a mural was painted in his honour in Taughmonagh, south Belfast.