This article tells the story of the club from its rather humble beginnings to the European Cup Winners Cup success, the Ibrox disasters and the Nine in a Row league championship wins. The history is divided, for ease, into sections regarding the manager of the club rather than sections of major events. There are of course overlaps between managers tenures, namely the Nine in a Row success which began with Graeme Souness and continued under Walter Smith.

In 1872, the club was formed by a group of rowing enthusiasts, Peter Campbell, William McBeath and brothers, Peter and Moses McNeil saw a group of men playing football on Glasgow Green's Flesher's Haugh.

Indeed the team's first game was at Flesher's Haugh in May 1872 against Callander, which resulted in a 0–0 draw. Moses McNeil suggested the name Rangers after seeing the name in a book about English Rugby. Rangers only played two matches in their birth year and their second match, with the team donned in light blue shirts, was a comprehensive 11–0 win over a team named Clyde (not the present Clyde).

Rangers began to grow into a more formal football club and in 1876, for the first time, a player was called up to play international football as Moses McNeil made his Scotland debut against Wales.

In 1888 the now famous Old Firm fixture was born as Rangers met Celtic for the first time in a friendly match. Celtic beat Rangers 5–2 with a team composed largely of "guest players" from Hibernian.

The 1890–91 season saw the inception of the Scottish Football League, and Rangers were one of ten original members. By this time Rangers were playing at the first Ibrox Stadium. Rangers' first ever league match took place on 16 August 1890 and resulted in a 5–2 victory over Heart of Midlothian. After finishing equal-top with Dumbarton a play-off was held at Cathkin Park to decide the who would be champions. The match finished 2–2 and the title was shared for the only time in its history, the first of Rangers' world record 52 championships.

Rangers had to wait until 1894 to taste their first Scottish Cup success after losing to Vale of Leven in 1877 and 1879 but finally lifted the trophy for the first time after a 3–1 win over Celtic. Rangers even came close to winning the English FA Cup in 1887 when they lost to Aston Villa in the semi-final.

Rangers ended the nineteenth century with further Scottish Cup wins 1897 and 1898 and a League Championship win in 1899 during which they won every one of their 18 league matches. Rangers formally became a limited company on 27 May 1899 and the then match secretary William Wilton was appointed as the clubs first manager. This also enabled Ibrox stadium to be constructed that same year. The club also appointed its first board of directors under the chairmanship of James Henderson. By the turn of the century Rangers had won two league titles and three Scottish Cups and were well on their way to becoming one of Scotland's top clubs.

Rangers were in the ascendant at the turn of the century, winning the championship seven times between 1900 and 1918 (with four League title in a row). The season of 1898–99 was particularly memorable, in that it saw the Gers win all 18 league games to establish a perfect record.

But between 1902 and 1910, Celtic took over as the dominant force, and though Rangers had the chance to foil a third League and Cup double in 1909, the Scottish FA withheld the Cup due to disgraceful scenes after a pitch invasion by a drunken fans. The Hampden Riot had written itself a sorry page in the history books, and both clubs were ordered to compensate hosts Queen's Park for the damage caused by their so – called fans.