| Jimmy Cotter | |
| Birth Name: | James Alfred Cotter |
| Birth Date: | 17 February 1959 |
| Death Place: | Bombay Hills, New Zealand |
| Ru Position: | Fullback Wing Centre First five-eighth |
| Repteam1: | Junior All Blacks |
| Repyears1: | 1978 |
| Repcaps1: | 4 |
| Reppoints1: | 20 |
| Provinceyears1: | 1977–78, 1981 |
| Provinceyears2: | 1985 |
| Provinceapps1: | 29 |
| Provinceapps2: | 3 |
| Provincepoints1: | 59 |
| Provincepoints2: | 4 |
| School: | Kuranui College |
James Alfred Cotter (17 February 1959 – 5 September 1985) was a New Zealand rugby union and softball player.
Cotter was educated at Kuranui College in Greytown, and was a member of the school's 1st XV rugby team in 1976.[1]
Cotter represented New Zealand in two sporting codes: rugby union and softball.[2]
Cotter was a Junior All Black in 1978.[3] [4] A utility back who played in all positions from first five-eighth to fullback, Cotter played 29 games for between 1977 and 1981, and three matches for in 1985.[3]
Cotter played 10 international games for the New Zealand men's national softball team between 1980 and 1984.[5] A powerful batter, he has been described as "one of the greatest softballers produced by New Zealand".[4] [6]
Cotter died on 5 September 1985 in a road crash on the Bombay Hills, south of Auckland.[1] [7]
Since Cotter's death, the Jimmy Cotter Memorial Trophy has been contested in representative rugby matches between Wairarapa Bush and Wellington.[1] [8] Cotter was inducted into the Softball New Zealand Hall of Fame in 1998.[9] Another Jimmy Cotter Memorial Trophy is awarded by Softball New Zealand to the emerging player of the year.[10]