Lou Brown
Personal information
Full nameLouie Ernest Brown
Born(1905-05-20)20 May 1905
Auckland, New Zealand
Died3 June 1947(1947-06-03) (aged 42)
Auckland, New Zealand
Playing information
Height173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight66 kg (10 st 6 lb)
Rugby union
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1920–1921 Te Kowhai
1921–22 Frankton
Total 0 0 0 0 0
Rugby league
PositionWing, Centre
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1922–23 Newton Rangers 26 12 2 1 42
1922–23 Wigan Reserves
1924–27 City Rovers 30 42 1 0 128
1927–30 Wigan 130 106 0 0 318
1930–31 Halifax 43 33 0 0 99
1931–34 York 116 77 1 0 233
1935–36 City Rovers 31 25 0 0 75
1937–38 Bordeaux
Total 376 295 4 1 895
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1922–36 Auckland 14 18 0 0 54
1925–36 North Island 3 4 0 0 12
1925–36 New Zealand 41 (9) 22 (4) 0 0 66 (12)
1927–30 Other Nationalities 2 5 0 0 15
1935–36 Auckland Māori 5 4 0 0 12
Coaching information
Representative
Years Team Gms W D L W%
1935 City Rovers 18 5 0 13 28
Source: [1]

Louie Ernest Brown (20 May 1905 – 3 June 1947) was a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s and 1930s. He played at representative level for New Zealand, Other Nationalities and Auckland, as a wing or centre.[1]

Personal life

Lou Brown was the son of Frank Brown, and Emma Catherine Brown, and the nephew of the "Harrison brothers, well known in the early days of football in this [Auckland] province".[2] He attended the Vermont Street Marist Brothers School in Auckland in the 1910s.[3]

Playing career

Brown began his career playing rugby for Te Kowhai in the Waikato, and in 1921 he transferred to the Frankton rugby club.[4] He was renowned for his pace which he had from an early age. At the Ngaruawahia Annual Athletic Championships in early 1922 he placed first in the 100 yard, and 220 yard races, and second in the 40 yard race.[5]

In 1922 he moved to Auckland early in the season to play in the Auckland Rugby League competition for the Newton Rangers.[6] He made his Auckland début against New South Wales in the same season as a seventeen-year-old.[7] After the 1923 season, Brown went to England and played for Wigan as an amateur in several reserve games. On his return, Brown joined City. Newton appealed, which was upheld by both the Auckland Rugby League, and the New Zealand Rugby League. As a result, he was suspended but after a protracted struggle was eventually released by Newton to play for City.

In 1927 he returned to England, joining Wigan as a professional.

Brown also played for Halifax and York. In May 1934 Brown suffered a severe throat cut and was hospitalised in a serious condition. He had written letters intimating that he was keen to return to New Zealand and this injury came as a shock. The York League Football Club were unaware of his desire to return to New Zealand and said that they were happy to allow him to return to New Zealand on a "vacational visit".[8] He did indeed return to Auckland in time to represent New Zealand in 1935. He also had further stints in France, with Bordeaux and Bramley[9] before suffering the illness that caused his death in 1947.[7]

Representative career

Brown with the ball on July 11 against NSW at the SCG.

Brown debuted for New Zealand on their 1925 tour of Australia where he played in 9 matches and scored 4 tries. Brown won caps for New Zealand in 1926 against England (2 matches) and Wales, in 1927 against England, in 1935 against Australia (3 matches), and in 1936 against England (2 matches), and won cap(s) for Other Nationalities while at Wigan against England.[1] Brown was part of the 1926-27 tour of Great Britain that was marred by player discontent.[10]

The NZ team to tour England and Wales with Lou Brown, second row from top in the centre (6).

He captained the Kiwis in one test match against Australia in 1935.[11] In the same season he also made 2 appearances for the Auckland Māori team which was in its second ever season. He scored 4 tries in their wins over Takahiwai from Northland, and Hawke's Bay Māori.

Challenge Cup Final appearances

Brown played left wing and scored a try in Wigan's 13–2 victory over Dewsbury in the 1928-29 Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 4 May 1929.[12]

County Cup Final appearances

Brown played right wing and scored a try in Wigan's 5–4 victory over Widnes in the 1928 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1928–29 season at Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington on Saturday 24 November 1928.[13]

Death

Brown died in Auckland on 3 June 1947 and was buried at Waikaraka Cemetery.[14] In an obituary in the Gisborne Herald it was written that "one of the finest wing three-quarters New Zealand has produced, Lou Brown, has died in Auckland". And that "Brown was rated as the finest wing three-quarter in England in 1929 when he scored a record tally of 43 tries in the season.[15] The Otago Daily Times also mentioned that he had in fact played rugby league for the French international side saying "when the game was introduced into France, he went across the channel as a coach, and had the distinction, unique, surely in sporting annals, of playing for that country. One of Lou Brown's most prized possessions was a medal which was presented to him by the French Rugby League commemorating his inclusion in the team"[16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  2. ↑ "Lou Brown/Return From England". Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 180. 1 August 1934. p. 8. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  3. ↑ "Lou Brown In Hospital". Taranaki Daily News. 7 June 1934. p. 17. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  4. ↑ "Hamilton Rugby Union/Meeting of Sub-Committee". Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14726. 17 August 1935. p. 2. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  5. ↑ "Ngaruawahia Sports/Successful Gathering". Waikato Times, Volume 95, Issue 14896. 13 March 1935. p. 2. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  6. ↑ In Touch nzrl.co.nz, October 2011
  7. 1 2 Coffey, John and Bernie Wood Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009, 2009. ISBN 978-1-86969-366-4, p.p.77-78
  8. ↑ "Lou Brown's Condition". Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 121. 24 May 1934. p. 20. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  9. ↑ Morris, Graham (2005). Wigan Rugby League Football Club: 100 Greats. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-7524-3470-4.
  10. ↑ Baker, Andrew (20 August 1995). "100 years of rugby league: From the great divide to the Super era". Independent, The. London: independent.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
  11. ↑ BROWN, Louie Ernest 1925 - 27, 1935 - 36 - Kiwi #166 Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine nzleague.co.nz
  12. ↑ "Historic Wigan RL Moments: 1929 Challenge Cup Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  13. ↑ "1928-1929 Lancashire Cup Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  14. ↑ "Cemeteries database". Auckland Council. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  15. ↑ "Lou Brown Dead/Fine Football Career". Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22347. 4 June 1947. p. 8. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  16. ↑ "Interest In Representative Matches". Otago Daily Times, Issue 26521, 24 July 1947. 24 July 1947. p. 2. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
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