Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | James Adamson | ||
Date of birth | 4 April 1929 | ||
Place of birth | Ashington, Northumberland, England | ||
Date of death | 8 November 2011 | (aged 82)||
Place of death | Nelson, Lancashire, England | ||
Playing position | Right-half | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1947–1964 | Burnley | 426 | (17) |
National team | |||
1953 | England B | 1 | (0) |
Teams managed | |||
1970–1976 | Burnley | ||
1976 | Sparta Rotterdam | ||
1976–1978 | Sunderland | ||
1978–1980 | Leeds United | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
James Adamson (4 April 1929 – 8 November 2011) was an English professional footballer and football manager. He was born in Ashington, Northumberland. He made 486 appearances for Burnley ranking him sixth in their all-time appearance list.
Adamson, a right-half, joined Burnley in January 1947 after playing non-league football in his native Ashington and working as a miner. His early career was interrupted by national service, which he completed with the Royal Air Force, meaning his debut had to wait until February 1951, when Burnley played away to Bolton Wanderers. He played once for the England B team, but never made the full England side.
He was an ever-present as Burnley won the First Division in 1959–60 and captained the side to the 1962 FA Cup Final which they lost against Tottenham Hotspur. He was also named Footballer of the Year in 1962.
Adamson formed a midfield partnership with inside-forward Jimmy McIlroy, around which much of Burnley's creative play was centred.
He retired in 1964, having played 426 league games, and joined the Burnley coaching staff. He had previously coached the England team in the 1962 World Cup in Chile and was the Football Association's preferred choice of manager ahead of Alf Ramsey but declined the offer.
In February 1970, when Burnley manager Harry Potts was made general manager, Adamson stepped up to become team manager. Burnley were relegated at the end his first full season in charge, but returned to the top-flight in 1973, winning the Second Division title.