James “Jimmy” Adamson was a professional footballer and football manager from England. He was born on April 4, 1929, in Ashington, Northumberland, and passed away on November 8, 2011, in Nelson, Lancashire, at the age of 82.
Adamson played for Burnley and made 486 appearances for them, ranking him sixth in their all-time appearance list. 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. After retiring in 1964, he joined the Burnley coaching staff.
He 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.
He managed Burnley from 1970 to 1976, Sparta Rotterdam in 1976, Sunderland from 1976 to 1978, and Leeds United from 1978 to 1980. At Leeds United, he guided the team to 5th place in the First Division and a League Cup semi-final in his first season. However, his reign saw the departure of popular players like Tony Currie and Frank Gray, and Leeds could only finish 11th in 1979–80 1.