Background
James was born in Rutherglen, Lanarkshire on 11 October 1880 to parents John McMenamin and Hannah Regan.
James was born in Rutherglen, Lanarkshire on 11 October 1880 to parents John McMenamin and Hannah Regan.
James" father John curiously adopted the name "McMenamin" after he moved to Scotland from County Tyrone. He was also part of the team that defeated Rangers 3-2 in the 1904 Scottish Cup Final after being down 2-0. In 1920, aged forty, McMenemy left Celtic and joined Partick Thistle where, in April 1921, he helped them to their one and only Scottish Cup victory, beating Rangers 1-0.
He also played 12 times for the Scotland national team, scoring 5 goals and also represented the Scottish League XI 13 times, scoring twice.
Lawrie McMenemy, the former manager of Southampton and many other teams, is a distant relation.
Nicknamed "Napoleon" due to an apparent resemblance to Napoleon Bonaparte, James McMenemy began his career playing for junior team Rutherglen Glencairn, leaving in 1902 to become part of the Celtic team that won six league titles in a row between season 1903-1904 and season 1909-1910. McMenemy won seven Scottish Cup medals altogether - in 1904, 1907, 1908, 1911, 1912, 1914 and 1921. James" own son, John, won a Scottish Cup medal for Celtic in 1927 and a Scottish League Championship medal for Motherwell in 1932, and his other son, Harry, played for Newcastle United.
