Adam Black (footballer, born 1898)

Adam Hudson Black (18 February 1898 – 30 August 1981) was a Scottish footballer who played for Leicester City in the Football League in the 1920s and 1930s.[1]

Adam Black
Personal information
Full name Adam Hudson Black[1]
Date of birth (1898-02-18)18 February 1898
Place of birth Denny, Scotland
Date of death 30 August 1981(1981-08-30) (aged 83)
Height 5 ft 9+12 in (1.77 m)[2]
Position(s) Full back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1919–1920 Bathgate
1920–1935 Leicester City 528 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He played for Leicester between January 1920 and 1935 and made a total of 557 senior appearances,[3] including 528 in the Football League, the Foxes club record.[4]

Early life

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Born in Denny, prior to joining Leicester Black fought in World War I with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and won the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his gallantry near Mœuvres on 21 March 1918.[4][5] The citation for his DCM stated that Black "bombed out a large portion of a trench captured by the enemy in spite of strenuous opposition. His initiative, leadership and personal gallantry were worthy of the highest praise".[5]

Career

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Black made his debut for Leicester on 24 January 1920 in a 3–2 victory over Hull City after becoming one of Peter Hodge's first signings for the club and began to establish himself as a first team regular the following season. Over the following few seasons under Hodge, Leicester were slowly built into a Second Division force and Black helped the club to the Second Division title in 1924–25. Black later played a key role as part of the team which finished in the club's second highest league finish of runners-up in the First Division in 1928–29.[6] He progressed to captain the team.[7]

Despite playing 557 times for Leicester, he only managed to score four times. Three of his goals were penalties and the other a bizarre 60-yard free kick against Sunderland in 1933, which Black accidentally overhit.[6] He made his final Leicester appearance in February 1935.[7]

He played in the Home Scots v Anglo-Scots trial match in 1923.[8]

Legacy

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A suite at Leicester's home ground, the King Power Stadium, is named in his honour.[9]

Personal life

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Black married in Clydebank in 1920.[7] His brother John Black (born 1900) also played football for various Football League teams.[10]

Honours

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Records

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References

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  1. ^ a b Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 28. ISBN 978-1905891610.
  2. ^ "The lure of promotion. Leicester City". Athletic News. Manchester. 13 August 1923. p. 6.
  3. ^ filbertstreet.net stats Archived 9 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ a b "No more heroes: Adding flesh to the legend of Leicester City's Adam Black". Mirror Football. 9 September 2009. Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  5. ^ a b "Leicester Fosse And The First World War: Part 17". Leicester City. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  6. ^ a b Dave Smith & Paul Taylor (2010). Of Fossils and Foxes. Pitch Publishing (Brighton) Limited. ISBN 978-1-905411-94-8.
  7. ^ a b c d "TWIH: Black's Final Appearance". Leicester City. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  8. ^ "Football | International Trial Match". The Glasgow Herald. 21 March 1923.
  9. ^ "Function Suites". The Walkers Stadium. Archived from the original on 1 December 2010.
  10. ^ Smith, Dave; Taylor, Paul (2010). Of Fossils & Foxes, the official, definitive history of Leicester City Football Club (Third ed.). Pitch. p. 192. ISBN 978-1905411948.
  11. ^ a b "Adam Black | Leicester City career stats – FoxesTalk". FoxesTalk. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  12. ^ Smith, Dave; Taylor, Paul (2010). Off Fossils and Foxes (Third ed.). Pitch. p. 519. ISBN 978-1905411948.