Yoker was a club formed in 1876 as football in Scotland exploded and Dick Hunter must have become involved with it in stages. His back-ground from that of his father was pubs. He was born in 1865 at Ardencaple Toll by Rhu in Dumbartonshire, his father, from New Kilpatrick, a Spirit Dealer, a publican. The Ardencaple Hotel is still there to this day. But the family moved on by 1871 presumably to another licensed premises on Storegate not in New but Old Kilpatrick. The street is no longer there replaced by The Glen Lusset pub, perhaps the descendent of the Hunter's place. But more pertinently Storegate was just a couple of hundred yards from the old Erskine Ferry, since replaced by the bridge and by 1881 the family had crossed the Clyde and was running a bar on the opposite bank.

By then sixteen year-old Dick Hunter was working as Commercial Clerk for a sugar broker and had already thrown his footballing lot in with Yoker four miles and three train stops up the river from the ferry's north side. He began to turn out for the club that year and was also club secretary. In fact he, a full-back, would continue to play for it until 1887, when the club folded to be replaced amost immediately by present-day Yoker Athletic. By then he had been noticed. He had played for Renfrewshire. In fact he was given a trial by Burnley, which came to nothing but returned not to Yoker's replacement. Instead he signed for St. Mirren, staying with the Paisley club for five seasons. It was whilst he was there that he was selected for Scotland twice, in 1890 and capped and in 1891 but having to drop out, retiring fully in 1892, presumably through injury since by then he was only twenty-seven.