James Kelly (footballer, born 1865)


James Kelly was a Scottish footballer who played for Renton, Celtic and Scotland.
At Renton, his hometown club, Kelly had won the Scottish Cup twice and been a 'World Champion' after they defeated West Bromwich Albion in an 1888 challenge match.
A centre-half of attacking bent, he was the first Celtic captain, playing in their first-ever match, a 5–2 win against Rangers in May 1888. He added to his medal collection with another Scottish Cup in 1892 and the Scottish Football League title in 1892–93, 1893–94 and 1895–96, playing a leading role in the establishment of Celtic as one of the leading clubs in the country.
He was capped eight times by Scotland and scored one goal. He also appeared seven times for the Scottish League XI. After retiring as a player, Kelly became a director of Celtic, serving as chairman between 1909 and 1914.
His descendants Bob Kelly, Michael Kelly and Kevin Kelly also became Celtic directors; a son, Frank also briefly played for the club prior to his death in World War I, and in 1934 another Celtic player Willie Hughes married James Kelly's daughter Bridie, two years after he had passed away.