Sam Kirkwood

{{Short description|Irish footballer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}

{{Use Irish English|date=November 2020}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Sam Kirkwood

| image =

| caption =

| fullname = Samuel James Kirkwood

| birth_date = {{birth date|1910|7|31|df=y}}

| birth_place = Belfast, Ireland

| death_date = {{death year and age|1980|1910}}

| height = 5 ft 10 in{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sunday-dispatch-football-guide-1936-vii/134492706/ |title=Plymouth Argyle. Their capture: goal-getting centre from Scotland |newspaper=Sunday Dispatch Football Guide |location=London |date=23 August 1936 |page=vii |via=Newspapers.com}}

| position = Defender

| youthyears1 = – | youthclubs1 =

| years1 = – | clubs1 = Cook Island | caps1 = | goals1 =

| years2 = – | clubs2 = Portadown | caps2 = | goals2 =

| years3 = 1933–1934 | clubs3 = Arsenal | caps3 = 0 | goals3 = 0

| years4 = 1934–1940 | clubs4 = Plymouth Argyle{{ref label|1939|A|}} | caps4 = 109 | goals4 = 1

| years5 = 1940–194? | clubs5 = Linfield | caps5 = | goals5 =

}}

Samuel James Kirkwood (31 July 1910 – 1980) was an Irish professional footballer who made 109 appearances in the Football League playing for Plymouth Argyle. He played as a defender.{{cite book |last=Joyce |first=Michael |title=Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 |publisher=SoccerData (Tony Brown) |location=Nottingham |year=2004 |page=149 |isbn=978-1-899468-67-6}}{{cite web |url=http://www.greensonscreen.co.uk/gosdb-players2.asp?pid=463&scp=1,2,3,4,5,6,7 |title=Sam Kirkwood |publisher=Greens on Screen |access-date=1 September 2010}}

Kirkwood was born in Belfast. He played for Portadown of the Irish Football League before coming to England to join Arsenal. After failing to break through to the first team he moved on to Plymouth Argyle, for whom he made his debut in the Football League in February 1935. He was a regular first-team member from the middle of the 1936–37 season onwards, but the Second World War put an end to his League career. He returned to Northern Ireland where he played for Linfield, and was selected in the Irish League representative team in 1940.{{cite web |url=http://irishleaguegreats.blogspot.com/2007/09/irish-league-representatives-1893-2007.html |title=Irish League Representatives (1893–2007) |work=Irish League Footballing Greats |date=26 September 2007 |access-date=1 September 2010}}