Born in Kilmarnock, James Morton Maxwell's father of the same name was also a footballer prior to his death in World War I, at which time his son was four years old. 'Bud' became known for his skills at school and was selected for Scotland at that level, thereafter becoming an apprentice at hometown club Kilmarnock, also working at a shoe manufacturer. Maxwell quickly emerged as a prolific goalscorer, becoming Kilmarnock's second highest goalscorer of their history in just four seasons, with 103 goals in 126 League games and 19 goals in 21 Cup games. Aged 18, he played in the 1932 Scottish Cup Final against Rangers. The first game was drawn, with Maxwell scoring the only goal for Killie. He also played in the replay, which Kilmarnock lost. Maxwell signed for Preston North End in 1934 and maintained an impressive strike rate, scoring 60 goals in 129 league matches and finishing top goalscorer in 1934–35 with 26 goals, and 1935–36 with 19. He also played in the victorious Preston team at the 1938 FA Cup Final. However, he suffered increasingly from knee injuries and was sold to Barnsley in 1939 just before the outbreak of World War II, returning to Kilmarnock in unofficial competitions where he scored his 124th goal on his final appearance for the club on 16 March 1940. He served with the Royal Navy throughout the war, mainly in the North Atlantic on submarine hunting/convoy escort duty. He played as a guest for Greenock Morton in the wartime Scottish Southern League a number of times while on leave from the navy. After the war, he trained with Preston but his registration was still held by Barnsley, who would not allow him to sign for a divisional rival; instead he joined Shrewsbury Townof the Midland League for a short spell lasting until the end of 1946.
International career
While at Kilmarnock, was selected once for the Scottish Football League XIin September 1933. The SFL lost 3–0 to the Irish League XI in Belfast, and of the 11 picked by the Scots, only one was selected again. He was on a reserve list for a Scotland fixture a few months later, but never made a full international appearance. His father had also played for the SFL XI on a single occasion.
