Sadly, Mick Cullen, a former Scottish international for Luton Town, passed away at the age of ninety-three.
After relocating to Kenilworth Road in 1952, the Glaswegian played 126 games, scoring nine goals, and assisting the Hatters in their 1955 promotion to Division One. In 1956, he received a cap against Austria, making history as the first Town player to represent Scotland. Two years later, Cullen moved on to play for Derby County and Grimsby Town, where he made nearly 200 appearances until retiring in 1965.
A statement on the club’s official website described Cullen’s career as follows: “He was just starting out as an apprentice sheet metal draughtsman when he was spotted by scout and ex-Town player Doug Gardiner who recommended the 17-year-old to the Hatters as a center-forward, but manager Dally Duncan soon moved him out to the wing.” After hanging up his boots, he stayed in Luton and was visited by former Hatter Kal Naismith on his 90th birthday back in October 2021.
After serving two years as a National Service member in the Air Force, he made his League debut for the Town in an April 1952 3-1 loss to Birmingham. A handful with a special shuffle for any defense Though he was in the reserves at the time, Mick made history as the first Luton player to earn a Scottish cap against Austria a year after he shone for the Town when they achieved promotion to Division One (now the Premier League) in 1955!
Additionally, he was victorious in a Scotland B cap match against England, which featured Tom Finney, Busby Babes Duncan Edwards and Tommy Taylor. Mick, who had unexpectedly moved to Grimsby in 1958, spent the next four years at Blundell Park almost constantly before concluding his League career at Derby County. Mick stayed in Luton, worked in the car park at the railway station and at Vauxhall, and frequently visited Kenilworth Road.
“After moving to Trefoil House Care Home in Luton, Mick celebrated his 90th birthday with a visit from a group of club members, including fellow Scot Kal Naismith. We are sending our condolences and best wishes to his friends and family. The funeral service is scheduled for Friday, September 13, at 11:00 a.m. at the Vale Crematorium.
