Initially employed as a miner in Fife, Archibald became a full professional when he joined Rangers at the age of 19 from Raith Rovers in 1917.
[3] He made his debut in a 2–0 defeat to Old Firm rivals Celtic in the Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup final in May 1917.
Archibald went on to win thirteen league titles in his seventeen seasons with the Glasgow club.
[4] Archibald won a total of 8 caps for Scotland over an 11-year period, although most of his selections occurred between his 1921 debut and 1924.
He joined the Kirkcaldy side's Fife rivals Dunfermline in October 1939 and performed a similar combined managerial role for them until his death in 1946.