Introducing Dave Brown

David (Dave, Davie) Brown was born in Chryston, near Glasgow,  Scotland in 1919, moving to Vancouver with his family in 1930, playing soccer in Vancouver as he had before the family moved.

Davie Brown made his debut in adult soccer in 1937 at age seventeen for St. Andrews in the Mainland League, winning the first of his four Mainland Cup winners medals in 1938. Later in 1938, Brown transferred to St. Saviours. The “Tigers” won the Mainland Cup in 1939, Brown scoring and setting up a second goal. In 1939, the Pacific Coast League was reinstituted, Brown playing the initial season for St. Saviours and St. Andrews.

Brown was regarded as one of the finest forwards in BC in those years just before World War Two, making three appearances for the Vancouver All-Stars against visiting English teams: Charlton Athletic in 1937 and two games against Islington Corinthians in 1938, Brown scoring in two of these games. Noted for a fearsomely hard shot, one Brown goal was described as “cutting the grass like a well-bred lawn mower”.

Dave Brown’s soccer career went on hold during World War Two, as he served in the First Canadian Army Tank Brigade, his battalion’s duty in Europe including the campaign to liberate the Netherlands. Brown played for the Canadian Army soccer team in Europe, scoring two goals in a game against their Dutch army allies.

Dave Brown returned to Vancouver, rejoining St. Andrews for the 1946-1947 season. The 1947 St. Andrews team had one of the most successful single season in BC soccer history, winning six trophies, including the Mainland Cup, BC Province Cup and the Canadian Championship. This year marked the beginning of a friendship between Hall of Famer Frank Ambler and Dave Brown. They would play together for multiple teams and became known as the “Gold Dust Twins.” In the summer of 1947, Brown and Ambler left St. Andrews, transferring to North Shore United.

With North Shore, Brown won his second BC Province Cup winners medal in 1948, scoring in the final, then in 1949, he won his fourth Mainland Cup winners medal and a Canadian Club championship winners medal.

Between 1949 and 1952, Dave Brown made another seven All-Star appearances against touring pro teams. His total ten appearances places him equal-tenth all-time and in those ten games he scored six goals. Brown’s own career highlight may have been playing against the English All-Stars in 1950, in which he scored in a 4-4 draw, playing against his idol Stanley Mathews. In addition, in 1952, the Mainland League All-Stars played a home and away series versus San Francisco’s All-Stars, Brown scoring in both BC victories.

A firefighter by profession, in 1951 Dave Brown became player-coach with Vancouver Firefighters for 1951 to 1953, after which he retired as a player. In 1961 he was recruited to coach the Norburn juvenile team, the team going on to be Champions of the Sun Tournament Champions, in effect the BC youth championship.

Dave Brown passed away in 1989.