Bill Brown (footballer, born 1931) explained

Bill Brown
Fullname:William Dallas Fyfe Brown
Birth Date:8 October 1931
Birth Place:Arbroath, Angus, Scotland
Death Place:Simcoe, Ontario, Canada
Position:Goalkeeper
Height:1.78 m[1]
Youthclubs1:Carnoustie Panmure
Years1:1949–1959
Years2:1959–1966
Years3:1966–1967
Years4:1967
Clubs1:Dundee
Clubs4:Toronto Falcons
Caps1:215
Caps2:222
Caps3:17
Caps4:16
Goals1:0
Goals2:0
Goals3:0
Goals4:0
Totalcaps:470
Totalgoals:0
Nationalyears1:1956
Nationalteam1:Scotland B
Nationalcaps1:1
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:1956–1958
Nationalteam2:Scottish League XI
Nationalcaps2:8
Nationalgoals2:0
Nationalyears3:1958[2]
Nationalteam3:SFL trial v SFA
Nationalcaps3:1
Nationalgoals3:0
Nationalyears4:1958–1965
Nationalteam4:Scotland
Nationalcaps4:28
Nationalgoals4:0
Nationalyears5:1959[3]
Nationalteam5:SFA trial v SFL
Nationalcaps5:1
Nationalgoals5:0

William Dallas Fyfe Brown (8 October 1931 – 30 November 2004) was a Scottish football goalkeeper.

Brown played for Dundee between 1949 and 1959, and for Tottenham Hotspur between 1959 and 1966. He was part of the Spurs team that won the Double of Football League and FA Cup in 1961 - the first club to achieve the feat in the 20th century. He was also capped 28 times for the Scotland national team.

Career

Dundee

Brown played as a youth for Carnoustie Panmure. He started his senior career with Dundee as a teenager and made over 200 appearances in the Scottish Football League.

Tottenham Hotspur

Brown was signed in 1959 for £16,500 to Tottenham Hotspur in June 1959.[4] He was at White Hart Lane for seven years, winning the Double in 1961 missing only one game the entire season. He also helped the team win the FA Cup again in 1962,and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1963. He produced one of his best performances in the match against Bratislava in quarter-final of 1962–63 European Cup Winners' Cup.

He suffered injuries in the mid-1960s, and with the arrival of Pat Jennings to the team, he began to lose his place in the starting lineup. He played his last game for the club in a friendly in October 1966, and transferred to Northampton Town the same month.

Northampton and Toronto Falcons

He next had a spell at Northampton Town. Brown then moved to Canada to end his playing days with the Toronto Falcons during the 1967 National Professional Soccer League season.[5]

International

Brown was capped 28 times for Scotland and played in the 1958 World Cup.[6] He also played for his country at 'B' team,[7] youth and schoolboy level. Brown also represented the Scottish League XI while he was with Dundee.[8]

After playing

After he finished playing, he stayed in Canada and worked as a property developer and for the government. He died in 2004, aged 73.[9] [10] The news broke just before Tottenham played a League Cup tie against Liverpool and, as a tribute, they wore black armbands for the occasion.

Honours

Dundee

1951–52

Tottenham Hotspur

1960–61

1960–61, 1961–62[11]

1962–63

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Club saddened to hear of passing of Bill Brown . 2023-01-25 . Tottenham Hotspur . en.
  2. http://partickthistleahistory.wikifoundry.com/page/1958+-+Scottish+League+v+Scotland+XI Scottish trial match at Easter Road
  3. http://partickthistleahistory.wikifoundry.com/page/1959+-+Scottish+League+v+Scotland+XI The selectors still have problems
  4. Book: Goodwin, Bob . Spurs: A Complete Record 1882-1988 . Breedon Books. 29 August 1988. 978-0-907969-42-6 . 76.
  5. Web site: Scottish goalie comes to Canada. 5 May 1967. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 16 July 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080617224337/http://archives.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/clips/13472/. 17 June 2008 . live.
  6. https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/players/?pid=113231 Bill Brown
  7. http://www.fitbastats.com/scotlandb/player.php?playerid=39 Scotland B player Brown, Bill
  8. News: SFL player William Dallas Fyfe Brown. London Hearts Supporters' Club. 27 November 2011.
  9. News: Bill Brown . Brian . Glanville . The Guardian . 7 December 2004 . 24 December 2014.
  10. Web site: Goalkeeping great Bill Brown dies . BBC Sport . BBC . 1 December 2004 . 24 December 2014.
  11. Book: Leslie . Jack . Vernon . Rollin . Rothmans Football Yearbook 1977–78 . 1977 . Brickfield Publications Ltd . London . 0354 09018 6 . 490.