James Brown - Mud, Blood, and Studs: James Brown and His Familys Legacy in Soccer and Rugby Across Three Continents

We all have family histories, but not many can lay claim to the sporting history of the Brown family. Whether the shape of the ball is round or oval, or the team is Manchester United or British & Irish Lions, James Brown takes us on a journey where the balls bounce takes us across the globe and the generations. Theres even a third-place finish at the inaugural World Cup, the best-ever finish for the US mens national team. First and foremost, James is a top-notch researcher and an able writer, but he is also a son, grandson, brother, and father. He has a reverence and respect for his ancestors as he covers mid-century international sport, an era when those who played did so for the love of the game. Specifically, this book is about an important American soccer family, one who helped keep the flame of the sport alive during its dark ages. As a driving force behind the Society for American History, James Brown has also brought light to our nations soccer story. His familys story is our story.

Tom McCabe, president, Society for American Soccer History

The Brown legacy is the perfect example of the pioneering influence Scotland had on the world of soccer and rugby. This book provides exceptional first-hand insight into the world of the Scotch Professors, where home and abroad they took their ball, whether spherical or oval, and demonstrated their natural abilities and gifts to the communities they found themselves in, and in this familys case, on three separate continents. The Brown family, over many generations, became sporting legends both domestically and on the international stage, with their desire to excel in their sporting field born out of necessity. This compelling story shows their rise to the pinnacle of sporting achievement, and I commend the Brown family as one of the best examples of the Scotch Professors in sporting history.

Graeme Brown, founder of the Hampden Collection

As a journalist, researcher, and developer of many initiatives regarding soccer history that I am, it was just a matter of time for me to get in contact with James Brown and his passionate labour about his grandfather in the 1930 World Cup. Long expected by me and many others, this book is also a confirmation of something I always say, firmly believe and confirm almost every day: theres a lot of new things we can discover and do about the past in order to enrich and correct the way it was usually exposed. Yes: those old days can still be a source of new stories and revelations that can lead not only to a more accurate knowledge and understanding of those times and the people who lived back then, but also to such great fun and touching personal experiences. That is all contained in the story of Jamess ancestors, which is also the story of how sport developed in the USA, Scotland, and other parts of the world. A magnificent journey, which any football or rugby lover could not resist.

Esteban Bekerman, founding director of Entre Tiempos

Any football club with a long history will have players remembered long after they have hung up their boots. Old men and women will gather and recall those happy days of their youth when legendary players trod the turf of their favourite club. Its 100 years since the formation of Guildford City Football Club. Since 1921 there have been perhaps four or five players who truly could be considered a legend of the club. But arguably at the top of that list is Jim Brown. There will be very few people today who saw Jim play in the red and white stripes. Jim Brown was a goalscorer supreme and his period at the club between 1937 and 1940 coincided with Guildfords best ever side; a team that had World War Two not intervened may well have been elected to the Football League. Jim Brown made 150 appearances for Guildford City, scoring with his pace and shooting ability an incredible 148 goals. But there was far more to the man than three years spent in Guildford. Any man who scores in a World Cup semi-final, signs for Manchester United while on a transatlantic liner, and plays a part in the formation of the Players Union is worthy of high acclaim.

Barry Underwood MBE, secretary of Guildford City Football Club

History tells stories and the best kind of stories are true ones with real characters and intriguing narratives. In Mud, Blood and Studs, James Brown shares much more than his own family history. He has painstakingly researched the life of the Brown booters (and Lambie and Brown ruggers) from Scotland to America, Mexico to South Africa, with a passion unique to family history. Following Jamess research journey these last few years has been a privilege and sharing in his discoveries a joy. How he has been able to build his own family football archive with unique material and sources from multiple continents should serve as a template for more of this kind of essential research into the sporting past. Whether it was how the matches waxed hot, the fear of razzberries or even the sentimental playing field, James has woven in the sporting details of universal human experience that make a personal story accessible to all.

Dr Kevin Tallec Marston, research fellow and academic project manager for Centre International dEtude du Sport, and member of the Society for American Soccer History

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2022

Pitch Publishing

A2 Yeoman Gate

Yeoman Way

Durrington

BN13 3QZ

www.pitchpublishing.co.uk

James Brown, 2022

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A CIP catalogue record is available for this book from the British Library

Print ISBN 9781801501613

eBook ISBN 9781801503174

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THE AUTHOR of Mud, Blood and Studs, James Cormack Brown, is my son and I am honoured that he has asked me to write the foreword.

This book is clearly a labour of love. It is the product of six years of dedicated research during which the author sifted through countless newspaper archives, both foreign and domestic, and boxes of family photographs well as conducting wide-ranging interviews with club historians, memorabilia collectors, family members, players and coaches.

It is richly illustrated with reams of photographs, many of which came from the private collections of those mentioned in the book as well as those of family members.

The narrative begins in 1927 when my father James Brown emigrated to the USA and follows his footballing career through the 1930 World Cup (where the USA finished third) and his stints with Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and other prominent clubs. He is a member of the US Soccer Hall of Fame.