Adam Black (footballer, born 1898)

Adam Hudson Black (18 February 1898 – 30 August 1981) was a Scottish footballer who played for Leicester City in the Football League in the 1920s and 1930s.^[1]

Adam Black

Personal information
Full name	Adam Hudson Black[1]
Date of birth	(1898-02-18)18 February 1898
Place of birth	Denny, Scotland
Date of death	30 August 1981(1981-08-30) (aged 83)
Height	5 ft 9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m)[2]
Position(s)	Full back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1919–1920	Bathgate
1920–1935	Leicester City	528	(4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He played for Leicester between January 1920 and 1935 and made a total of 557 senior appearances,^[3] including 528 in the Football League, the Foxes club record.^[4]

Early life

Born in Denny, prior to joining Leicester Black fought in World War I with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and won the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his gallantry near Mœuvres on 21 March 1918.^[4][5] The citation for his DCM stated that Black "bombed out a large portion of a trench captured by the enemy in spite of strenuous opposition. His initiative, leadership and personal gallantry were worthy of the highest praise".^[5]

Career

Black made his debut for Leicester on 24 January 1920 in a 3–2 victory over Hull City after becoming one of Peter Hodge's first signings for the club and began to establish himself as a first team regular the following season. Over the following few seasons under Hodge, Leicester were slowly built into a Second Division force and Black helped the club to the Second Division title in 1924–25. Black later played a key role as part of the team which finished in the club's second highest league finish of runners-up in the First Division in 1928–29.^[6] He progressed to captain the team.^[7]

Despite playing 557 times for Leicester, he only managed to score four times. Three of his goals were penalties and the other a bizarre 60-yard free kick against Sunderland in 1933, which Black accidentally overhit.^[6] He made his final Leicester appearance in February 1935.^[7]

He played in the Home Scots v Anglo-Scots trial match in 1923.^[8]

Legacy

A suite at Leicester's home ground, the King Power Stadium, is named in his honour.^[9]

Personal life

Black married in Clydebank in 1920.^[7] His brother John Black (born 1900) also played football for various Football League teams.^[10]

Honours

• Football League First Division Runner-up: 1928–29^[11]
• Football League Second Division Champions: 1924–25^[11]

Records

• All-Time Leicester City F.C. leader in league appearances: 528 games.^[7]
• Black and Jack Bamber were the first Leicester players to play all games in a First Division season, in 1925–26.^[12]

References

1. Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 28. ISBN 978-1905891610.
2. "The lure of promotion. Leicester City". Athletic News. Manchester. 13 August 1923. p. 6.
3. filbertstreet.net stats Archived 9 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
4. "No more heroes: Adding flesh to the legend of Leicester City's Adam Black". Mirror Football. 9 September 2009. Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
5. "Leicester Fosse And The First World War: Part 17". Leicester City. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
6. Dave Smith & Paul Taylor (2010). Of Fossils and Foxes. Pitch Publishing (Brighton) Limited. ISBN 978-1-905411-94-8.
7. "TWIH: Black's Final Appearance". Leicester City. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
8. "Football | International Trial Match". The Glasgow Herald. 21 March 1923.
9. "Function Suites". The Walkers Stadium. Archived from the original on 1 December 2010.
10. Smith, Dave; Taylor, Paul (2010). Of Fossils & Foxes, the official, definitive history of Leicester City Football Club (Third ed.). Pitch. p. 192. ISBN 978-1905411948.
11. "Adam Black | Leicester City career stats – FoxesTalk". FoxesTalk. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
12. Smith, Dave; Taylor, Paul (2010). Off Fossils and Foxes (Third ed.). Pitch. p. 519. ISBN 978-1905411948.