James Stevens Pearson (1905 – 24 January 1962) was an English professional footballer who played as a full back. He was born in Heywood, Lancashire, and began his career in non-League football with his hometown club in the early 1920s. In April 1925, Pearson joined Football League Third Division North side Nelson, initially as an amateur, although he was offered a professional contract in September of the same year. He made his debut for Nelson on 3 October 1925 in the 0–1 defeat away at Coventry City and appeared in the following five matches, but then spent the majority of the 1925–26 season in the reserve team. During the 1926–27 campaign, Pearson was more involved in first-team activities and appeared in more than half of Nelson's league fixtures, although he was never able to properly