James Cowan (footballer)

James Cowan
	Cowan with Aston Villa in 1897
Personal information
Full name	James Cowan
Date of birth	17 October 1868
Place of birth	Jamestown, Dunbartonshire, Scotland
Date of death	12 December 1918 (aged 50)
Place of death	London, England
Position(s)	Half back
Senior career*
National team
Teams managed
1906–1913	Queens Park Rangers
	* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

James Cowan (17 October 1868 – 12 December 1918) was a Scottish football player and manager, winning five Football League First Division titles and two FA Cup winners medals at Aston Villa and later taking charge of Queens Park Rangers.

Playing career

Born in Jamestown, Dunbartonshire, Cowan was a half-back who played with local sides Renton and Vale of Leven before moving to England in 1888 to play for the Warwickshire County FC. The following season, he wished to pursue a professional career and joined Aston Villa and spent 14 years with the Birmingham side. When Cowan played for the club in the 1890s and early 1900s, they were the giants of the Football League. While at Villa, he won five First Division titles and two FA Cup winners medals and was selected for Scotland on three occasions. In all he played 354 times for Aston Villa[1] and is considered to be one of the finest players of the Victorian era. For four years, his younger brother John also played for Aston Villa.

Managerial career

After retiring from playing in 1902, he coached the young players at Villa for a few years before deciding to accept the role of manager of Queens Park Rangers in 1907. QPR had just moved to a new ground designed By Archibald Leitch at Park Royal and Cowan was the club's first official manager. In his initial season he led them to the Southern League title and held Manchester United to a fine 1-1 draw in the Charity Shield.

Four years later he led QPR to another Southern League title. Off-the-field problems however prevented him from leading the club into the Football League. Prior to the start of the 1913–14 season he offered his resignation on the grounds of ill health which the directors accepted. He died at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, in December 1918.

Other sports

In 1890 Cowan played professional baseball for Aston Villa in the National League of Baseball of Great Britain.

He was renowned for his speed. On one occasion he missed a Villa match due to his attending (and winning) the illustrious 100 yard New Year Sprint event held at Powderhall. The club fined him but he still made a healthy profit due to the prize money.

Managerial statistics

Nat.	Team	From	To	Record
Nat.	Team	From	To	G	W	D	L	Win %
	Queens Park Rangers	1 August 1906	31 March 1913	296	128	85	83	043.24
Total				296	128	85	83	043.24

References

Cowan, James, Aston Villa Player Database

Macey, Gordon (1993). Queens Park Rangers - A Complete Record. The Breedon Books Publishing Company Limited. ISBN 1-873626-40-1.
Marks, John (2003). Heroes In Hoops - QPR Who's Who 1899-2003. Yore Publications. ISBN 1-874427-84-4.
James Cowan at the Scottish Football Association

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[1] Cowan, James, Aston Villa Player Database