He revealed: "I started out playing inside right and scored quite a few goals. In 1951 I scored five goals in one game in an 11 - 0 win over Ness. A year later and they withdrew from the league, which was a bit of a shock as they had a number of good players.
"The junior side which I played with were quite successful and we had a brilliant season in 1949. We finished as league champions, undefeated and six of our side were called up for a junior Select to play Nairn.
"I was playing inside right when our side's centre-half left the island. They knew I could play there so I was moved back. For a while I was playing at the back for the juniors and up front for the seniors. Eventually, I moved to centre-half in both sides and I never moved again."
As a youngster, John Neil was an avid follower of the local game and to this day recalls the first time he ever saw Back play.
"The first match I saw in Upper Coll was in 1946 when Back arranged a match with Ness after the war. All the boys in the school were desperate to go as we knew the game was arranged. Kick-off was at three and we were stuck in school so some of the older boys decided to go on strike and refused to do any work.
"The head, Alex Matheson, was a big football fan himself and when he found out what the problem was he let all the boys go off at three.
"I remember running as fast as I could from the school to the pitch at Coll and when I reached the game had already started. There was no crossbar. Instead, there was a rope tied from post to post. If memory serves me right, I think Back shaded it by the odd goal."
Back and John Neil picked up a vast haul of medals and honours - including three Eilean an Fhraoich Cups in a row 1954, 55, 56 - but for one reason or another, the league always escaped them and this is something which rankles with him to this day.
"In all my time with the Back side we won plenty cups but we never won the senior league. We came as close as close can be but we never quite managed it.
"In 1955, we won all the cups on offer. We picked up a treble in the Eilean an Fhraoich Cup, the D'Oyley Carte Cup and the Stornoway Cup but we were denied the league by an extremely controversial goal.
"We were neck and neck with the School and our final game of the season was a clash with Point. We lost the game after a blunder by the referee. The ball rebounded back into play after coming off the post but the ref signalled for a goal even before the ball had hit the post.
"The ref knew he had made a mistake but he had already signalled for a goal. I was captain at the time and the School won the league. That is definitely one of my worst memories in Lewis football. The manner in which we lost the league was very hard to take.
"Another game that really stands out in my memory was playing Ness away in the Eilean an Fhraoich Cup. We were a bit late in setting out to go over there and the game was evidently a bit late in starting.
"It was the second-leg after the two sides had drawn in Back. As we had started a bit late it soon became very dark, to the point where we could hardly see the ball. It was a farce but the referee decided to appoint two fans behind each goal to tell him if the ball went into the net, or past the post or whatever it may be.
"This was never going to work and a little while later it was proved so. The ball came across our box and was punched into the net by a Ness forward. Our goalie shouted for handball but there was no way the ref could have seen it and there was no way the Ness fans behind the goal were going to say anything.
"We refused to kick-off unless the referee blew for full-time instantly as it was far too dark and becoming dangerous. The game ended 2 - 2 and we had a replay at a later date which we lost.
"That was also a difficult defeat as the goal they scored with their hands proved crucial and cost us the cup. The game should have been abandoned long before it was. Looking back now it was a hilarious situation and I laugh about it.
"Another match which I remember well was a game at Goathill against Point. One of my great friends, Murdo 'Biodan' Macleod, was playing at centre-forward. This was unusual as he didn't normally play there. I was marking him but he scored a brilliant hat-trick with his first three strikes at goal.
"All his goals were beauties but in the end we won 4 - 3 and his strikes meant nothing in the end. I still enjoy talking to him about that."
In a long and distinguished career with dozens of winners medals, John Neil has many proud moments but for him there are two which stand out from the rest.
He said: "My proudest moment in football was definitely in 1955 when we won all three cups. In those days you had to wait to get the cups and medals until the end of the year when the Association would put on a dance.
"1955 was the year that Calum Kennedy and Joan Mackenzie won the gold medals at the Mod and Joan was actually presenting the trophies.
"I remember going up as Back captain for these three trophies and having to make a speech. I remember saying that it was a pity Point didn't get any silver to go with their gold. This was reference to the success of the Point singers at the Mod. I was very proud as I came down off the stage in front of everyone carrying three trophies.
"Another proud moment was when I was first allowed to travel on the team bus with the Back senior team. I went with them to Bernera as a travelling reserve in case one of their players didn't turn up. In those days it was very hard to get on the team bus and if you were on it, then you knew you had made it. So that was another special moment for me."