Laurie Brown (footballer)
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Laurence "Laurie" Brown (August 22, 1937 - September 30, 1998) was an English former football player and manager.
Brown was born in Shildon, County Durham and started his career at non-league side Bishop Auckland and then Woking, and performed well enough to be picked for the England amateur team, and the Great Britain side at the 1960 Olympics in Rome; the British team failed to progress to the knockout stage and came eighth overall.
On his return to England he turned professional and signed for Northampton Town, and was the club's scorer in 1960-61 as they were promoted to the Third Division. However, he had been switched from centre-forward into central defence, and from then on flourished in that position. In August 1961 he was signed by First Division Arsenal, and immediately became a first-team regular in the Arsenal side.
Brown amassed 109 appearances for the Gunners in two-and-a-half seasons, scoring two goals. At the time, Arsenal were the less successful of the two north London sides, and Brown made the surprising move up the Seven Sisters Road to Arsenal's deadly rivals, Tottenham Hotspur in February 1964, for a fee of £40,000. Brown became one of the few players to play for both clubs, and by sheer coincidence, his first match for Spurs, on February 22, 1964, was against his old club Arsenal; Brown nearly scored in a 3-1 Spurs win.
Brown was relatively disappointing at Spurs, though he still made 62 League appearances over two seasons. In 1966 he was sold to Norwich City, and spent two seasons there before finishing his career at Bradford Park Avenue, where he became the club's player-manager, but unfortunately presided over the club's relegation from the Football League. After retiring from playing in 1969, he had spells as manager of Altrincham, King's Lynn and Stockton.
Categories: 1937 births | 1998 deaths | English footballers | Football (soccer) central defenders | Athletes at the 1960 Summer Olympics | Olympic competitors for Great Britain | Northampton Town F.C. players | Arsenal F.C. players | Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players | Norwich City F.C. players | Bradford A.F.C. players | English football managers | Bradford A.F.C. managers | People from County Durham
