Jock Ewart died in 1943 of tuberculosis. He was said to be aged fifty-two, which gives a birth-year of 1891. His father was John and his mother, Jane. He had been a miner, of shale and then coal, born in Ireland. She was from Burghhead in Moray. And Jock is said to have been born at Oakbank by Straiton cum Liberton in Midlothian, where there is an almost precise match, which actually ties up with other facts from his footballing life, except that it is from 1888. 

However, by 1890 the family had moved to Bellshill, then Holytown and Newhouse before by 1901 its was back to Bellshill and settling. Thus Jock began his junior football with Bellshill Rovers and Bellshill Athletic before joining Larkhall Thistle. And it was from there that in 1909, so aged twenty-one, working as a miner himself but having reached the age of maturity, he was signed by Airdrieonians for three seasons until Bradford City came in. And there he would remain for almost a dozen years, albeit including the War years, when he served in the Yorkshire Regiment, then in 1921 a single cap until in 1922 the club was relegated to the Second Division, struggled even there and he made the decision to come back to Scotland, back to his former team and the winning of the Cup in 1924. 

However, he then was to return to Bradford not once but twice. In 1926 it would be to marry local girl, Elsie Moyes, whilst in 1927, and probably not unconnected, to stand between the posts at Valley Parade once more, the club without him having been relegated to the Third Division. In fact he stayed just a year, as the club was stabilised in a comfortable sixth place and whilst he must have been seen as still having something to give at a higher level. Certainly at the age thirty-seven notionally but forty actually for the following season he was picked by Preston, a division up, went into its first team, remaining at Deepdale until 1930.