| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Grady Brown[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1952-05-11)11 May 1952 (age 73) | ||
| Place of birth | Coatbridge, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1968–1972 | Albion Rovers | 94 | (0) |
| 1972–1973 | Chesterfield | 47 | (0) |
| 1973–1978 | Sheffield United | 170 | (0) |
| 1979–1980 | Detroit Express | 60 | (0) |
| 1979–1981 | Detroit Express (indoor) | 12 | (0) |
| 1981 | Washington Diplomats | 31 | (1) |
| 1981–1982 | Chicago Sting (indoor) | 4 | (0) |
| 1982 | Chicago Sting | 4 | (0) |
| 1982–1983 | Cardiff City | 3 | (0) |
| 1983 | Kettering Town | 10 | (0) |
| 1983–1989 | Chesterfield | 135 | (1) |
| Total | 570 | (2) | |
| International career | |||
| 1974–1975 | Scotland under-23[3] | 5 | (0) |
| 1975 | Scotland | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
James Grady Brown (born 11 May 1952) is a Scottish former professionalfootballer, who played as agoalkeeper. During his career, he made over 300 appearances in theFootball League and spent four years in theNorth American Soccer League playing for theDetroit Express,Washington Diplomats andChicago Sting. He also gained one cap forScotland in 1975.[4]
As a teenager, Brown attended St. Ambrose High School inLanarkshire.[5]
Brown began his career atAlbion Rovers, appearing over 100 times for the club after making his debut at the age of 16.[6] In 1972, he played in a pre-season friendly againstChesterfield and impressed the club's management. Several months later, in December 1972, he joined the club, turning down a move toBrighton & Hove Albion.[7] He quickly established himself in the first-team and attracted the attention ofFirst Division sideSheffield United, joining theBlades on the final day of the transfer window in the 1973–74 season.[7] He went on to spend five years atBramall Lane, winning the club's player of the year award in 1975, before moving to theNorth American Soccer League withDetroit Express in 1979.[2]
He returned to Britain in 1982, spending a brief time atCardiff City before joiningKettering Town as cover for the injured Steve Conroy. He made his league debut for thePoppies in 3–2 defeat toFrickley Athletic and made 18 appearances during the 1982–83 season.[8] At the start of the following season, he rejoined Chesterfield as the club began suffering a financial crisis.[9] He competed withChris Marples for the starting spot for several years before Marples departure toStockport County in 1987. Several years after officially retiring Brown was named as a substitute on two occasions in his forties, the1995 Football League Third Division play-off final and the first round of theFA Cup in 1997, at the age of 45.[7]
Having represented Scotland atunder-23, Brown was called up for several matches in theBritish Home Championship as understudy toStewart Kennedy. When Kennedy suffered an ankle injury during a defeat toEngland and was unable to recover for the following match againstRomania atStadionul Național inBucharest duringqualifying forUEFA Euro 1976,[6] handing Brown his first cap.[10] The match, played in front of 80,000 fans, ended in a 1–1 draw.[11]
Since 1986, he has been the commercial manager atChesterfield. During his time in the role, Brown, along with three other members of staff, began keeping records of the club's financial activity under chairman Darren Brown after becoming concerned about his business practices.[12] He later testified in front of a Football League panel against the then chairman and the records were eventually used to help convict Darren Brown of fraud in 2005, being sentenced to four years in prison.[7][13]
Brown later stated "we knew the proper way to run the club. In the very first week, Darren Brown was paying money out with no invoices, so we began to keep a log.[...] We had to stand up in front of Darren Brown and tell the truth, which we did to get Brown out and save the club".[14] He also helped the club in a number of other capacities, including running the club lottery and writing the match programmes.[7]
Chesterfield