James "Jimmy" Wilson (1856 – 16 November 1935) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), captaining the side for a few seasons during the 1870s and 1880s. This was an era when the club won a number of premierships prior to the inception of the Victorian Football League (VFL). Before taking up football, "Young Jim Wilson" was a jockey who rode in the Melbourne Cup, and later a successful trainer, most notably of the 1899 Melbourne Cup winner Merriwee.