James Adams (footballer, born 1864)
Scottish footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Adams (17 August 1864 – 21 April 1943) was a Scottish footballer who played for Heart of Midlothian, Everton and Scotland.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Adams | ||
| Date of birth | 17 August 1864 | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 21 April 1943 (aged 78) | ||
| Place of death | Kearny, New Jersey, United States[1] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1884–1885 | Norton Park | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1885–1894 | Heart of Midlothian | 75 | (0) |
| 1894–1896 | Everton | 40 | (1) |
| 1896–1897 | Heart of Midlothian | 4 | (1) |
| 1897–1898 | St Bernard's | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 122 | (2) | |
| International career | |||
| 1889–1893 | Scotland | 3 | (0) |
| 1893–1894 | Scottish League XI | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He started his senior career with Hearts, and won the Scottish Cup with the club in 1891 (their first major trophy and the first time the competition had been won by a team from the Scottish capital).[2] He played in England for Everton for two seasons from 1894 to 1896, before playing one more season for Hearts in 1896–97 and finishing with a short spell at St Bernard's.[3][1] Adams won three caps for Scotland, spread across four years. In an era when representative matches between cities and regions were frequent, he was selected for Edinburgh / East of Scotland on 17 occasions.[3][4]
Adams once deliberately handled the ball to prevent a goal from being scored (against East Stirlingshire during Hearts' 1891 cup run), and the outcry resulting from this incident led to the introduction of the penalty kick.[1][5] After retiring as a player, Adams became a football referee. He later emigrated to the United States where he worked as a mason, and died in New Jersey in 1943.
