James Lang (footballer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Lang was a Scottish footballer who is generally considered to be the first professional player. His playing career started with Clydesdale but he also became involved with the Glasgow vs. Sheffield association matches. It was at the 1876 meeting that he caught the attention of The Wednesday board. They subsequently invited him to play for their team. He was not paid by the club but instead gained employment with a company owned by one of the directors. No formal duties were attached to the job and he spent most of the day reading the paper.
Ironically, he parted ways with Wednesday due to the rise of professionalism. In 1886 Sheffield Wednesday were still an amateur club and Lang was moved across the Pennines to the professional club Burnley. He won two international caps for Scotland, scoring two goals.
