James White (Scottish footballer)

Tec White

Personal information
Full name	James White
Date of birth	21 August 1899
Place of birth	Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland
Date of death	August 1983
Place of death	Bristol, Massachusetts, United States
Playing position	Inside Left / Wing half
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1920–1922	Albion Rovers
1923–1924	Maidstone United
1924–1925	Motherwell
1925–1930	Fall River Marksmen	243	(111)
1931	→ New York Yankees	17	(4)
1931–1932	→ New Bedford Whalers	21	(9)
1932–1934	New York Brookhattan
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (goals)

James White (21 August 1899 – August 1983), also known as Jimmy White or Tec White, is a former Scottish footballer who spent most of his career playing for Fall River Marksmen in the American Soccer League. He was born in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Playing career

In 1920, White signed with Albion Rovers of the Scottish League. He helped Albion reach the final of the 1920 Scottish Cup where they lost to Kilmarnock. He spent two season with Albion before joining Maidstone United of the English Southern League in 1923. After one season with Maidstone, White transferred to Motherwell.^[1]

White was one of several players who were recruited from the Scottish League by Sam Mark to play for Fall River Marksmen. Others included Tommy Martin, also from Motherwell, Charlie McGill from Third Lanark and wing-half Bill McPherson from Beith. These players would become the backbone of the a very successful Marksmen team during the 1920s and early 1930s. In later seasons his team mates also included, among others, Billy Gonsalves, Bert Patenaude, Werner Nilsen and Alex McNab.^[2][3][4]

Between 1925 and 1931, White made 243 league appearances and scored 111 goals for the Marksmen in the American Soccer League, helping them win five league titles. He also helped them win the National Challenge Cup three times, scoring twice goals in the 1927 final against Holley Carburetor F.C. .^[5][6][7] He also played for the Marksmen in friendlies against Rangers and Kilmarnock and in 1930 was a member of the Marksmen squad that toured Central Europe.^[8]

In 1931 when Sam Mark relocated and merged the Marksmen franchise twice, White followed the team on both occasions. They first moved to New York City, where they merged with New York Soccer Club and became the New York Yankees. In the summer of 1931, White played for a Yankees team featuring Billy Gonsalves, Bert Patenaude and George Moorhouse that twice played Celtic in friendlies. On 30 May at Fenway Park the Yankees won 4–3. However on 28 June at Yankee Stadium, Celtic won the second game 4–1. The Yankees then moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts where they merged with Fall River F.C. to become the New Bedford Whalers. With the Whalers, White won a further two American Soccer League titles and the 1932 National Challenge Cup. On 3 April 1932 he scored the opening goal in a 5–2 win against Stix, Bear and Fuller in the second leg of the final.^[9]

Honours

Fall River Marksmen

• American Soccer League
  • Winners 1925–26, 1928–29, Fall 1929, Spring 1930, Fall 1930: 5
• National Challenge Cup
  • Winners 1927, 1930, 1931: 3
• Lewis Cup
  • Winners 1930: 1
  • Runners Up 1925: 1
• American Cup
  • Runners Up 1924: 1

New Bedford Whalers

• American Soccer League
  • Winners Fall 1931, Spring 1932: 2
• National Challenge Cup
  • Winners 1932: 1

References

1. Jose, Colin (1998). American Soccer League, 1921–1931 (Hardback). The Scarecrow Press. (ISBN 0-8108-3429-4).
2. www.fairchallenge.com
3. The Year in American Soccer – 1922
4. Wangerin, David (2008). Soccer in a Football World: The Story of America’s Forgotten Game (Paperback). Temple University Press. (ISBN 1-5921-3885-3).
5. www.soccerhalloffame.org
6. www.sover.net
7. www.rsssf.com
8. The Year in American Soccer – 1930
9. www.usopencup.com