Jim Brown (soccer)

Infobox Football biography
playername= Jim Brown


fullname = James Brown
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date|1908|12|31
cityofbirth = Kilmarnock
countryofbirth = Scotland
dateofdeath = death date and age|1994|11|9|1908|12|31
cityofdeath = Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
countryofdeath = United States
height = height|ft=5|in=11
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Wing Forward
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1927
1928
1929
1929-1930
Fall 1930
Spring 1931
Fall 1931
1932-1934
1935-1936
1936-1937
1937-1939
1939
1950-1952
clubs = Bayonne Rovers
Newark Skeeters
New York Nationals
New York Giants
→ New York Soccer Club
Brooklyn Wanderers
Newark Americans
Manchester United
Brentford
Tottenham Hotspur
Guildford City
Clyde
Greenport United
caps(goals) =
07 0(0)
01 0(0)
14 (10)
24 0(6)
16 0(6)
01 0(0)
40 (17)
01 0(0)
04 0(0)
nationalyears = 1930
nationalteam = United States
nationalcaps(goals) = 4 (1)
manageryears = 1948-1950
1950-1952
1952-1974
1956-1958
managerclubs = Greenwich High School
Greenport United
Brunswick School
Elizabeth Falcons
pcupdate =
ntupdate =

James "Jim" Brown (born December 31, 1908 in Kilmarnock, Scotland; died November 9, 1994 in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey) was an American soccer player who played for the United States men's national soccer team at the 1930 FIFA World Cup, scoring the only goal of the American team in their 6-1 semi-final loss to Argentina. He began his career in the American Soccer League before moving to England then Scotland. After retiring from playing, he coached at the youth, senior amateur and professional levels. He was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1986.

Youth

While born in Kilmarnock, Brown grew up in Troon, the oldest of four brothers, two who played professionally as goalkeepers. His brother, Jock also earned a cap with Scotland. Brown became an apprentice riveter at the Toon Shipyard when he was thirteen. At some point, his father deserted the family and moved to the United States. In 1927, Brown left Scotland to search for his father, settling in Westerfield, New Jersey and finding work as a riveter in a factory.

Amateur career

When Brown arrived in the U.S., he joined the Bayonne Rangers, a local amateur team. In 1928, he signed as an amateur with the Newark Skeeters of the American Soccer League. However, the league suspended the Skeeters in September 1928 as part of the “Soccer War”. Newark then joined two other suspended ASL teams and several others from the Southern New York Soccer Association to form the Eastern Professional Soccer League. Brown played seven games with Newark in the ASL and an unknown number in the EPSL. However, at the end of the season, he returned to the ASL when he signed with the New York Nationals.

National team

In 1930, Brown was called into the U.S.national team as it prepared for the 1930 FIFA World Cup. At the time, national team requirements were less stringent and Brown was selected based on his father’s, not his own, citizenship. Brown played all three U.S. games in the cup as the team went to the semifinals. Following their elimination, the U.S. played a series of exhibition games throughout South America against professional and regional teams. Only one, a 4-3 loss to Brazil counted as a full international. That was Brown’s last of his four caps with the U.S.national team. [ [http://www.rsssf.com/tablesu/usa-intres-det69.html RSSSF] ]

Professional career

United States

In 1930, Brown became a professional with the New York Giants. Soon after, he was called into the U.S. national team for the 1930 World Cup. On his return from Uruguay, he rejoined his team, now under new ownership and known as the New York Soccer Club. He played the fall 1930 season with New York S.C. then moved to the Brooklyn Wanderers for the 1931 spring season. Brown moved to the Newark Americans for the fall 1931 season, but by this time the ASL was collapsing. Therefore, he decided to return to Scotland in 1932.cite book | last = Jose | first = Colin | title = American Soccer League, 1921-1931 | format = Hardback | publisher = The Scarecrow Press | year = 1998 | id = (ISBN 0-8108-3429-4) ]

England

Based on his success in the U.S. both professionally and with the national team, several teams from both England and Scotland expressed an interest in signing Brown. As the ship he was on neared the dock, representatives from these teams awaited him. However, Scott Duncan, manager of Manchester United, took a tugboat out to the liner and signed Brown on board. Brown played from 1932 to 1934 with United, scoring seventeen goals in forty games, second highest on the team. Notably, he scored directly from a free kick on his first game with the team. While Brown scored regularly with United, he alienated the team management with his outspoken support for a players’ union. In May 1934, United transferred Brown to Brentford F.C., but his union activities quickly soured his relationship with the team ownership. He saw only one first league game, but scored fifty-three goals in seventy-three games with the reserves. In September 1936, Brentford sent Brown to Tottenham Hotspur. In his two seasons there, he played only four first team games, but scored twenty-one goals in thirty games for the reserves. In 1937, he moved to the semi-professional Guildford City of the Southern Football League. Over his two seasons this Guildford, Brown scored 148 goals in 150 games. He then moved north to finish his career with Scottish First Division club Clyde F.C. He retired due to injuries soon after.

Post playing career

Having retired from playing professionally in 1939, Brown resumed his trade as a riveter in the Troon Shipyard. In 1948, he returned to the United States where he became the head coach of the Greenwich High School soccer team. Two years later, he joined several other men in forming the Connecticut State Amateur League as well as Greenport United. When his son, George began playing for Greenport, Brown joined him for two seasons as a player-coach. He then coached the Brunswick School soccer team for twenty-two years and the Elizabeth Falcons of the American Soccer League from 1956 to 1958.

Brown was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Connecticut State Hall of Fame in 2000. His son George was inducted in 1995.

References

External links

* [http://www.soccerhall.org/famers/james_brown.htm Profile at the National Soccer Hall of Fame]

Persondata
NAME = Brown, Jim
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Brown, James
SHORT DESCRIPTION = American Soccer Player
DATE OF BIRTH = December 31, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH = Kilmarnock, Scotland
DATE OF DEATH = November 9, 1994
PLACE OF DEATH = Berkeley Heights, New Jersey