James McCormick (28 April 1883 – 28 January 1935) was an English professional footballer who played 23 games in the Football League for Sheffield United, and 269 in the Southern League for Plymouth Argyle. He played as a right half.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James McCormick | ||
| Date of birth | 28 April 1883 | ||
| Place of birth | Rotherham, England | ||
| Date of death | 28 January 1935 (aged 51) | ||
| Place of death | Kimberley, Canada | ||
| Position(s) | Right half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Attercliffe | |||
| 1905–1907 | Sheffield United | 22 | (1) |
| 1907–1910 | Plymouth Argyle | 119 | (8) |
| 1910 | Sheffield United | 1 | (0) |
| 1910–1920 | Plymouth Argyle | 170 | (17) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
McCormick was born in Rotherham. He joined Sheffield United from local football in the Sheffield area.[1] On leaving the club in 1907, he played in the Southern League and the Western League for Plymouth Argyle.[2] He made a brief return to Sheffield United before the 1910–11 season, but played only once[1] before resuming his Argyle career in December 1910. He remained with the club until the League was suspended for the duration of the First World War.[2] McCormick joined the 17th Middlesex Battalion, the Footballers' Battalion, in January 1915 and was promoted to Sergeant soon after enlisting.[2] The battalion went to France in November 1915, where McCormick was wounded the following year by shrapnel in his forehead during the Battle of the Somme.[2] McCormick carried a wounded comrade whose legs had been shattered, who guided him the wrong way down a trench and they were captured.[2] He was taken to a prisoner of war camp in Saxony.[2]
He was repatriated when the First World War ended and spent time in hospital recovering from malnutrition.[2] McCormick played for Argyle again throughout the 1919–20 season and captained the side after Harry Wilcox retired early in the campaign.[2] He made 305 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 26 goals, and retired from professional football before the club joined the Football League.[2] McCormick emigrated to Canada in June 1920, where he captained Ladysmith Football Club on Vancouver Island.[2] He suffered from tinnitus and deteriorating eyesight as he got older due to the injury sustained during the war and retired to Kimberley in 1930.[2] McCormick died of cancer on 28 January 1935.[2]