Jimmy Lawson (Scottish footballer)

James Samson Lawson (26 March 1886 – 2 September 1962) was a Scottish footballer who played as a right back, primarily for Dundee,[2] before moving to the United States to be a professional golfer.

Jimmy Lawson
Lawson in action as a golfer, 1930s
Personal information
Full name James Samson Lawson[1]
Date of birth (1886-03-26)26 March 1886
Place of birth Panbride, Scotland
Date of death 2 September 1962(1962-09-02) (aged 76)
Place of death Nassau, Bahamas
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position(s) Right back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1906–1908 Neilston Victoria
1908–1913 Dundee 121 (0)
1913–1914 Airdrieonians 17 (0)
1914–1915 New Bedford Whalers
1915 Bethlehem Steel
Total 138 (0)
International career
1912 Scottish League XI 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

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He was part of the Dundee squad which won the Scottish Cup in 1910[3] and was selected to play for the Scottish Football League XI in 1912.[4] After a one-year spell at Airdrieonians he quit the game in 1914 and moved to the United States to become a professional golfer,[1] also remaining involved in football as a player with New Bedford Whalers and Bethlehem Steel,[5] and as a coach for the Steel and at Lehigh University.[6]

Over a long career he was a golf club manufacturer, and a country club pro in Chicago, Flint, Texas and Indianapolis, before retiring to Florida.[1][6] He also served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in World War I and in the U.S. Army in World War II.[1]

Personal life

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Jimmy Lawson was born to George, a farmer who also worked as a gardener and draper, and Elizabeth "Betsy" (née Will), a domestic worker. Two of his brothers, Fred Reid Lawson (1888–1954)[7] and Herbert Charles "Heb" Lawson (1892–1930)[8] also moved to America to play golf professionally.[9] Herbert also briefly played football at Bethlehem Steel.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d The Hawthorns Series (page 10), Robert Bradley and Douglas Gorman, Scottish Sport History, October 1914
  2. ^ John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ Kenny Ross. "1910 - Scottish Cup". Dundee F.C. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  4. ^ (SFL player) Jimmy Lawson, London Hearts Supporters Club
  5. ^ Soccer, The Globe - South Bethlehem, 2 February 1915, via Bethlehem Steel Soccer Club
  6. ^ a b James S Lawson, Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland
  7. ^ Fred Lawson, Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland
  8. ^ Herbert Lawson, Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland
  9. ^ The Amazing Carnoustie Oakmont Connection, David Gould, The A Position, 2011
  10. ^ Soccer, The Globe - South Bethlehem, 3 March 1916, via Bethlehem Steel Soccer Club