Kenny most likely inherited his strategic mind from his father who worked as an engineer. Instead of applying problem solving to the world of engineering like his father, Kenny applied problem solving to defeat teams on the soccer field. Kenny was raised in a town called Milton. He received his education at High Possil Senior Secondary School. During his early school years he won a Scottish Cup playing for Glasgow. Kenny was a soccer prodigy from the outset. It did not take him long to realize that he had special abilities that put him above his peers.

A professional career in football would not elude Kenny. He began his pro journey when he turned 20 years old. He joined his first pro team when he signed a provisional contract with the football club Celtic in 1967. He had a great four years gaining experience with this first club. In 1971, he was a starter for the Celtic Club but he was loaned out to another team. He made his first appearance as a member of Cumberland United Club. During his time with them, he scored a lot of goals and started to get recognized as a good player.

During the 1972-1973 season, Kenny showed a lot of promise and became his team’s most lethal and best scorer. After two years, he became the team captain. Kenny’s promotion was paired with disappointment. That season was very bad for the Celtics and they were not able to bring a trophy back home. Kenny was not able to lead the Celtics to a title which led to his departure from the club. In 1977, Kenny signed a contract with the Liverpool football Club. Liverpool had much better players than the Celtic Club. He would be leaving a small pond to join a bigger pool of elite players. Even though he would be relied on less, he enjoyed having some of the pressure taken off his back. He preferred to have better players he could play with as a unit instead of leading lesser players.

He made his debut for Liverpool in game against Manchester United in August of 1977. Going against the popular Manchester United club gave Kenny the big game experience he was craving even though he did not score any goals. Kenny would not get his first goals for Liverpool until they faced off against Middleborough.

Kenny was a great player but he was also respected for his mind and ability to create advantageous strategies to win soccer games. In 1985, he became a player-manager, when Joe Fagan retired. The concept of player coach or player manager is not common in American sports but it would happen in international soccer. Kenny would use the opportunity to train for his future role as a full time football manager.

Kenny’s final season for Liverpool wrapped up in 1990. At the time of his retirement, he was one of the oldest players in the club. After over two decades on the field, Kenny felt it was time to move on to the next chapter of his soccer career.