| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Thomas Alfred Blackburn | ||
| Date of birth | 20 July 1878 | ||
| Place of birth | Blackburn, Lancashire, England | ||
| Date of death | 13 March 1951 (aged 72) | ||
| Place of death | Ilford, England | ||
| Position(s) | Outside-left, wing-half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Mellor | |||
| 1897–1905 | Blackburn Rovers | 192 | (25) |
| 1905–1913 | West Ham United | 217 | (24) |
| International career | |||
| 1901–1904 | England | 3 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
James Thomas Alfred Blackburn (20 July 1878 – 13 March 1951), known as Fred Blackburn, was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Blackburn Rovers and in the Southern League for West Ham United.[1]
Blackburn played for his home-town club of Blackburn Rovers, playing as an outside-left, and featured for the team at the age of 17.[2]
He was capped three times for England, making his international debut at Crystal Palace against Scotland, in which he scored in a 2–2 draw.[3] He also represented the English League against the Scottish League and played in a North versus South fixture.[2]
He moved to West Ham United in the summer of 1905, along with Blackburn teammates Lionel Watson and Harry Hindle, and switched to wing-half while with the club. He was an ever-present during the 1909–10 season and totalled 237 Southern League appearances for the club, scoring 24 goals, before leaving in 1913.[2]
After retiring from the game, Blackburn joined the Merchant Navy, but later returned to football to coach Barking.[2]
His brother Arthur made a handful of appearances for Blackburn Rovers and for Southampton as a full-back.[4]