Dave Cormack: ‘If I hadn’t done anything, I would have had a heart attack, probably a massive one’

Dave Cormack doesn’t pretend that February was a month to celebrate.

On the contrary, the Aberdeen chairman was traumatised as he watched his Dons suffer a series of humiliating defeats to Hearts, Darvel [the biggest shock in recent Scottish Cup history, if not of all time] and Hibs during the opposite of sunshine on Leith.

At the climax of that last contest – which the hosts won 6-0 – he met manager Jim Goodwin in the dressing room, the latter hugged him and said: “I know, Dave, it’s nae good enough. I’m sorry” and that was the end of the line for the Irishman at Pittodrie.

In the aftermath, even as Cormack launched into a series of emotional interviews with the BBC, Sky and other sections of the press, where he spoke candidly about his embarrassment, he probably thought he could return to the United States the following week and concentrate on searching for somebody to step into Goodwin’s shoes.

But instead, a routine medical check soon turned into a pressing cause for concern.

High cholesterol – an issue for many years – led to a calcium score test, which prompted initial concerns from his cardiologist.

Then Cormack had a heart catheter inserted in his arm with a camera, which revealed he had major blockages.

And, suddenly, the warning lights flashed red.

He told the Press & Journal: “I was told the main artery – the ‘widowmaker’ – which pumps 50% of the blood to the heart, had two blockages, one at the top at 95% and the other at 90%. Two other arteries had 80% and 50% blockages.

“I asked: ‘Why have I no symptoms’ But they replied: ‘You’re a pretty healthy guy and it’s amazing what your body does to try to compensate’.

Feeling flush after plumbing

“I had been running up the stairs just the week before, and now I was being told I needed triple heart bypass surgery and the doctors said they would like to do it in the next week during which I wasn’t to do any exercise.

“There was a surgeon who was recommended to me, so I met him, we did a bunch of tests and then it was time for the procedure, which lasted seven hours.

“The technology was amazing and at the end of it, the medical team said: ‘Your heart is in perfect shape, the valves are great too, we caught it in time, and we’ve just given you new plumbing. Your prognosis is very good, go and enjoy life.’

“I was happy to hear this, of course, but then there was a moment, three or four weeks later, when it struck me what they had also told me at the time of the surgery in response to me asking: ‘Gosh, what if I hadn’t been inquisitive about getting tested?’

“They said I would have had a heart attack, probably a massive one in the next six to 12 to 18 months, and who knows if I would have survived?

“That set me thinking about how few of my mates back in Aberdeen bother to get health problems checked. I met a couple of friends who had never even thought about having a  cholesterol test – which is common every year in the States for people over 50 – and it left me wondering if there was anything we could do as a football club to help.

You should get issues sorted out

“After all, we have this big audience, ranging from kids to folk in their 50s, 60s, 70s and older among our fanbase and I’m now exploring whether we could bring a medical team into Pittodrie and help people to get tested.

“The preventive thing is very important – it also helped [Gothenburg Great] John Hewitt [who recently suffered a heart scare, yet has made a full recovery] – but there is still this culture in Scotland where a lot of men, in particular, don’t want to bother their doctor or find out if something is wrong.

“The other thing which struck me was everything that my wife was going through while this was all happening. Fiona is the matriarch of the family, she is my rock, and she has been such an important figure in my life.

“She is like her mum, Barbara [Styles] who is 93 and lives at home in Kincorth. We were there last night, she had the coal fire on and we had home-made soup – and it reminded me that, while I was running around working in business, Fiona was looking after our three kids and also helping set up a charitable foundation.”

Dave was smitten with the Dons from a young age

Cormack has never forgotten his roots and grew up in an environment where he weeded rose gardens and gutted fish to earn a few shillings.

The software entrepreneur now enjoys the trappings of luxury – though he told me he has zero interest in owning yachts or fleets of personalised Ferraris.

But he talks in matter-of-fact fashion about those early days in Garthdee when there was no running water in his family’s flat and any trips to the toilet required an excursion outdoors.

Football provided an outlet for his energies as a youngster and he was smitten with the Dons from the first time he was lifted over the turnstiles as a 10-year-old. And it’s a passion which has never diminished, even as he has scaled the corporate ladder.

‘I always wanted to earn my own money’

As he explained: “From an early age, I always wanted to earn my own money. When I was 12 or 13, there was this company, Anderson’s Roses on Lower Deeside Road, and they would take kids on to do weeding during the summer holidays.

“A few of us cycled out there and we did eight hours of back-wrenching work and it was for a shilling. I went back and forth and cycled there every day, but after a while, my dad refused to let me go back. I was exhausted, and he took pity on me. He didn’t do that very often, but he could see I was shattered.

“However, I think that summed me up. I’m not somebody with a ‘poor-me’ attitude and you’re not promised a bed of roses – I know that – but I honestly believe we are on the right road with Aberdeen FC, we have built a structure which works, on and off the pitch and we have become a pivotal part of our community and I’m very proud of that.”

‘A proud part of our history’

As you might expect, Cormack is delighted that the Gothenburg Greats – the 1983 Aberdeen stalwarts who reigned supreme in Europe and beat the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Hamburg – have just received the Freedom of the City.

He was one of the thousands of supporters who travelled to Sweden and relished that momentous occasion at the Ullevi Stadium 40 years ago. But, true to type, he disagrees with those who feel the Dons are spending too much time in the past.

He said: “A lot of people maybe see it as a millstone round our neck. But we shouldn’t view it as that – it should be an inspiration, a proud part of our history and it will be forever. The lads who lifted that trophy have been immortalised and rightly so.

“And that should be ample motivation for the current team to chase their own dreams.”

Five questions for Dave Cormack

1) What book are you reading?

“I like reading crime thrillers from the likes of John Grisham and James Patterson. Currently re-reading Gray Mountain by Grisham.”

2) Who’s your hero/heroine?

“My wife Fiona. She has supported me every step of the way, including difficult decisions including moving our family from Aberdeen to London in 1997 and then to the States. She’s the rock in our family.”

3) Do you speak any foreign languages?

“Doric!”

4) What’s your favourite music/band?

“No favourite band. These days I love listening to Miami Poolside Chill Radio on Pandora.

5) What’s your most treasured possession?

“No physical possession. What I treasure the most at the age of 64 is spending time with family in the States and in Aberdeen, and the opportunity to try and make a difference with Aberdeen FC and through our charitable foundation.”