James Henry Cowan (28 September 1856 – 7 August 1943)[1] was an Army officer, who played in the 1878 FA Cup final for the Royal Engineers A.F.C., and represented Great Britain in shooting at the 1908 Summer Olympics.
Cowan was born in Chiswick, the son of a solicitor from Mid Calder, and was educated at Edinburgh Academy, Cheltenham College, and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst In 1875, he received the prize from the RMA for shooting in 1875, earning himself a breech-loading revolver; his fellow prize-winners included future football team-mates Charles Mayne, Horace Barnet, and Oliver Ruck.
[4] Although his school was not notable for association football, Cowan was chosen as a full-back soon after joining the Engineers, making his debut at the Kennington Oval in October 1876 in a defeat to the Wanderers.
[5] He made his competitive debut a fortnight later in the first round of the 1876–77 FA Cup, again at the Oval and again as a back, but this time in a victory, over the Old Harrovians.
[8] He was a regular in the 1879–80 competition and captained the side in the semi-final replay against Oxford University, but the Students once more beat the Sappers, with the only goal coming in the last ten minutes.