He is in the history books as being the first Everton goalkeeper to play at the club’s famous Goodison Park Stadium in the late 19th century and helped them win their first ever league title.
But the final resting place of Scots-born David Jardine remains a mystery.
Historians attached to the English Premiership giants have already tracked down the unmarked graves of two other players from north of the Border who starred for Everton in the past and have erected memorial headstones.
But the exact whereabouts of Jardine, who returned to Scotland when his playing days were over, is proving to be more difficult.
A plea has now been issued for information in the hope that the grave – believed to be somewhere in Lanarkshire or the Scottish Borders – can be found and a permanent tribute put in place.
The son of a stonemason from Dumfriesshire, Jardine lived in the Lanarkshire village of Crawford at the start of the 20th century once his playing career was over.
His wife, Sarah, died after the family moved to a house near Elvanfoot in 1928.
They had two sons – John and Robert – and it was from Robert’s emigration papers when arriving back from South Africa in the 1940s that it is known David Jardine had retired to a cottage at Causewayend between Biggar and Coulter.
Jardine senior died on March 28, 1948, at the cottage just outside Biggar, but that is where the information trail ends.
Tony Onslow, from the Everton Heritage Society, said: “The obvious place for David to be buried is with his wife at Elvanfoot Church, but there is no record of him there.
“We have exhausted every option around South Lanarkshire and also where David’s parents and siblings are buried at Applegarth in Dumfriesshire.
“There is a chance he was cremated but, again, we can find no record.
“Everton Heritage Society undertake one or two of these research projects every year with the aim of re-dedicating the grave with a headstone featuring the club crest.”
David Jardine was born on December 5, 1865, at Templand in Dumfriesshire. Following school he served his apprenticeship as a tailor, but it was while playing as goalkeeper for Mid-Annandale that he attracted attention.
In March 1889, at the age of 23, he accepted a professional contract from English Football Alliance club, Bootle.
It was during a game against Merseyside rivals Everton on April 13, 1889, that Jardine grabbed the headlines as he helped Bootle pull off a major 2-1 shock.
The match report in the Football Field periodical stated: “The young Scot between the sticks punched, kicked and caught the ball with great agility.
“He threw himself down upon the ball in a manner which even the heartbroken Evertonians could not forebear to cheer.”
Jardine also helped Bootle to lift the Liverpool Senior Cup in his first season.
The following November he signed for Everton and made his debut in a 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers as they went on to win their first ever Football League championship.
Jardine shared goalkeeping duties during 1891/92 as Everton saw out their final season playing at Anfield.
And he was between the posts in the club’s very first league game at the new Goodison Park against Nottingham Forest on September 3, 1892.
Jardine – having played a total of 37 games for Everton – left Merseyside at the end of the season and signed for Lancashire club Nelson.
Although he helped his new team win the Lancashire League, he was to return to Scotland and marry Sarah Smith in 1894.
Jardine also returned to tailoring, although he did briefly help Wrexham win the Welsh FA Cup in 1897.
Mr Onslow added: “We are fairly sure he’s not buried anywhere in South Lanarkshire as the council has helped us with our research.
“We are hoping that there will be descendants of David Jardine still living in the area who can help us.”
The Everton Heritage Society has already erected two headstones in Scotland in memory of former players Andrew Hannah and Sandy Young.
Civic and religious authorities have records of who is buried where, but researching historic archives can be laborious and often fruitless.
Scottish Borders Council has conducted an initial check and officers have agreed to carry out a more in-depth investigation of cemeteries around Broughton and up to the South Lanarkshire boundary in the coming weeks.
A spokesman said: “We have begun checking our records to see if David Jardine’s unmarked grave is situated in the Borders.”
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