| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Adams | ||
| Date of birth | 17 August 1864 | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 24 April 1943 (aged 78) | ||
| Place of death | New Jersey, United States | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1884–1885 | Norton Park | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1885–1894 | Heart of Midlothian | 71 | (17) |
| 1894–1896 | Everton | 40 | (1) |
| 1896–1897 | Heart of Midlothian | 4 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1889–1893 | Scotland | 3 | (0) |
| 1893–1894 | Scottish League XI | 2 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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James "Jimmy" Adams (17 August 1864 – 24 April 1943) was a Scottish association football player, who played for Heart of Midlothian, Everton and Scotland. He started his senior career with Hearts, and won the Scottish Cup with the club in 1891. He played for Everton for two seasons from 1894 to 1896, before playing one final season for Hearts in 1896–97. Adams won three caps for Scotland, spread across four years.
Adams once deliberately handled the ball to prevent it scoring a goal, and the outcry resulting from this incident led to the introduction of the penalty kick. Somewhat ironically, after retiring as a player, Adams became a football referee. He later emigrated to the United States and worked as a mason, and he died in New Jersey in 1943.