In March 1985, Baird joined Leeds for £75,000. He made a promising start — scoring in his fourth appearance in a 2-1 win at Manchester City — and finished the campaign with six goals in his ten appearances for his new club. That run pushed Leeds onto the fringes of the promotion campaign.

Manager Eddie Gray describes Baird as giving his forward line 'a more earthy, aggressive dimension. He would not have won any prizes for style, and could be very hot-headed, but he was strong and brave and will battle all day. He was a tremendous asset in the hurly burly of the Second Division, especially away from home where defences tended to be able to establish a physical mastery over us too easily. It is one of my regrets as Leeds manager that it took me so long to sign a striker in this mould.'

Known for his aerial power, work rate and aggression, his wholehearted style quickly made him a fan favourite. The sacking of Gray in October 1985, brought the arrival of another Leeds legend, Billy Bremner, as manager. Baird remained a regular choice in Bremner's first season, but then became a cult hero in the extraordinary 1986/87 campaign, the chant of 'Bairdy's gonna get ya' becoming commonplace at Elland Road.

Jon Howe: 'The 1980s were a barren time for Leeds United, and their fans were routinely stigmatised as being contemptibly one-dimensional. In essence, Ian Baird was the poster boy for the kind of defiance that fought back against such slothful labelling; there was more to Ian Baird too, if you cared to look for it. And while many Leeds fans were satiated by a pie, a pint and a "red card for Bairdy" on any given Saturday, it does do an injustice to an old-fashioned centre forward who did as much as anyone to evoke the flagging spirit of Revie's great side.

'Baird was certainly an uncompromising leader of the line; but his tireless work rate, adept hold-up play and not-so-shoddy eye for goal all supplemented an attitude that you had to fight to survive and should never give up. All whilst skirting right on the edge of the referee's patience.

'Not surprisingly, it was Billy Bremner who recognised the kind of traits in Baird that had served him and his team-mates well over a decade earlier. It was under Bremner's guidance that Baird's prowling menace truly came to the fore. In the cheerless wastelands of the Second Division, Baird provided the fearless battering ram that so often made the difference or at least saved a disjointed side from complete capitulation.

'Baird typically scored goals in batches rather than providing a prolific threat, but he proved an accommodating striking partner for the likes of Tommy Wright, Andy Ritchie and latterly Bobby Davison. If the fans had basic aspirations for Baird's performances, his team-mates were similarly undemanding. Baird did the hard graft, took the blows and invariably left the door open for a pea-roller through the mud into a gaping net.'

Baird came to the fore during the remarkable spring of 1987, scoring against Telford, Swindon and QPR as Leeds made their way unheralded into the semi-finals of the FA Cup. His hat-trick at home to Plymouth at the end of March brought Leeds ominously to the edge of qualification for the first end-of-season play-offs.

Leeds failed gloriously on both fronts and there was more disappointment when a contract dispute led to Baird pushing for a move to Portsmouth, though the £275,000 fee kept the bank manager happy.

Baird had a disastrous season, scoring just once and falling out with Pompey manager Alan Ball. By March 1988, things had got so bad that financially crippled Portsmouth sold Baird back to Bremner and Leeds for £120,000.

He was straight back to leading the Leeds line but could not find a way to force a way back into the play-offs for a Leeds team that had started the season as promotion favourites.

In October 1988, Bremner was shown the door by Leeds, with Howard Wilkinson coming in to replace him. Baird retained his position as leader of the line and was almost ever present, though a late promotion push faltered at the death.

Wilkinson's first full season saw Leeds claim the title, but Baird was not there to see it. In a fit of pique after Wilkinson signed Lee Chapman in the spring, Baird was off in a £500,000 move to Middlesbrough, where his final-day brace against Leeds' promotion rivals Newcastle helped secure promotion for his former club and saw to it that Baird would get a championship winner's medal.

Jon Howe: 'It was a promotion that Baird himself had fought for and longed for. Sometimes the real heroes don't get the plaudits at the time, but history remembers them. And history will always tell us that Ian Baird and Leeds United were a match made in heaven.'

Baird epitomised the tough, hard-working centre-forward — brave in the air, aggressive in pressing, yet skilful enough to link play. Fans remember him as the archetype of the 'battering ram' attacker: fearless, motivating team-mates, and always a goal threat. He remains among Leeds' most beloved cult heroes from that era.

Baird played 63 league matches for Middlesbrough, scoring 19 times - a performance that saved them from relegation and cemented his reputation at Ayresome Park. He then moved to Hearts in Scotland, scoring 15 in 64 appearances, before returning to England with Bristol City (£350k transfer), tallying 11 goals in 57 games. He finished his Football League journey at Plymouth Argyle and Brighton before retiring in December 1997.

Post-retirement, Baird spent four years in Hong Kong playing, coaching, and managing Instant Dict and even the Hong Kong national side in Asian Cup qualification. Back in England, he moved into leisure business, managed at Havant & Waterlooville part-time then full-time with Eastleigh, and later served as assistant at Sutton and Havant again, while running a successful vehicle leasing company, IBMH.

Baird's presence at Leeds came during a turbulent era: a club in the Second Division striving for revival. He played under two contrasting eras — Billy Bremner's last gasps and Wilkinson's rebuild. His willingness to work, run tirelessly, commit on every ball, and his occasional vital goals framed him as a backbone figure when one rarely emerged during those years.

His most celebrated contribution — the header against Newcastle in December 1989 — offered a turning point that galvanised Leeds' promotion charge. Baird later reflected that he felt 'aggrieved' when the club signed Lee Chapman, seeing it as a replacement move, leading to his departure despite Wilkinson offering him a new contract. The abrupt fallout and exit underlined his pride and belief in his place at the club at that moment.

Ian Baird personified the essence of Leeds United's challenging 80s years: unapologetically physical, passionately committed, and emblematic of a club's resolve to reclaim pride. His two spells — book-ended by Portsmouth's misguided venture and Middlesbrough's historic promotion fight — left an indelible mark on Elland Road, celebrated not for glamour, but for grit, goals, and unrelenting endeavour.