Recruited from Huddersfield Town after a decade refining his approach in dugouts across the country, Shankly took charge with the Reds languishing in the Second Division.
Within five years they were champions of England; a cherished first FA Cup followed the next season; and new heights were achieved in Europe before his decade-and-a-half reign concluded.
To mark the anniversary of Shankly's arrival on December 1, 1959, club statistician Ged Rea has delved into the numbers behind a defining era in LFC history...
£1.33 million – the amount paid by Liverpool in transfer fees during Shankly's tenure.
39,612 – the attendance at his Anfield testimonial when the Reds beat a Don Revie Select XI 6-2 in April 1975.
1,307 – the total number of goals scored in all competitions by Liverpool under his leadership.
783 – the amount of matches he took charge of for the club – the most of any Reds boss.
660 – the most appearances made by a player under Shankly: Ian Callaghan, of which 500 were in the league.
407 – Shankly oversaw more Liverpool victories than any other manager.
277 – Roger Hunt scored more goals during Shankly's time in charge than any other player. Of those, 236 came in the league.
108 – the most goals scored by the Reds in a single season in league and cup, during the 66 games of the 1972-73 campaign.
92 – teams Liverpool faced with him as manager, 64 of those being English or Welsh.
75 – the number of games Shankly took charge of in the FA Cup, more than any other Liverpool manager.
71 – Shankly used 71 players while Reds manager, with 11 making a solitary appearance.
65 – he managed Liverpool in 65 matches in European competition, a total bettered only by Rafael Benitez.
54 – players were given a Liverpool debut by the Scot, the most in any season being seven in both 1962-63 and 1964-65.
51.98 – his win ratio in all Reds games.
46 – Shankly's age when he took over in December 1959.
46 – different players scored for Liverpool in league and cup, including six who netted just once.
32 – Tottenham Hotspur were the team Shankly faced most during his time at Anfield.
26 – hat-tricks were scored while he was manager, with Hunt netting 12 of those.
17 – years and 128 days was the age of the youngest player to appear for Liverpool under Shankly (Max Thompson).
15 – the Reds' longest unbeaten run in the league. They recorded 13 wins and two draws from January to April 1972.
14 – Shankly used the fewest number of players in an English title-winning team (in 1965-66 in a 42-game season), a record subsequently equalled by Aston Villa in 1980-81.
10 – the biggest winning margin overseen by Shankly with the Reds. They beat Dundalk 10-0 at Anfield in the Fairs Cup in 1969.
7 – the number of major trophies won by Shankly (excluding three Charity Shields, two of which were shared).