Jimmy Brownlie

James Brownlie (15 May 1885 – 29 December 1973) was a Scottish footballer and manager, who played as a goalkeeper.

Jimmy Brownlie
Personal information
Full name James Brownlie
Date of birth (1885-05-15)15 May 1885
Place of birth Blantyre, Scotland
Date of death 29 December 1973(1973-12-29) (aged 88)
Place of death Dundee, Scotland
Height 5ft 10.75in (1.80m)
Playing position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1902–1906 Blantyre Victoria
1906–1923 Third Lanark 145 (0)
1923–1926 Dundee United 30 (0)
National team
1909–1914 Scotland 16 (0)
1919 → Scotland (wartime)[1] 4 (0)
1909–1919 Scottish League XI 14 (0)
Teams managed
1923–1931 Dundee United
1934–1936 Dundee United
1938–1939 Dundee United
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Brownlie was born in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, and was an outstanding personality in Scottish football over many years, as a goalkeeper and manager. Almost his entire professional playing career, lasting from 1906 to 1923, was spent with Third Lanark, having joined them from local Junior team Blantyre Victoria.[2] He continued to work in his chosen trade as a bricklayer while playing for Thirds[2] despite them being among Scotland's leading clubs of the time (although their best spell, winning the Scottish Football League in 1904 and the Scottish Cup in 1905 plus a losing final the following year, narrowly preceded Brownlie's arrival - his sole honour was a Glasgow Cup in 1909).

At international level, he played for Scotland in 16 of the last 17 internationals before the First World War, and was also selected in four unofficial Victory Internationals once the conflict was over, and for a Scottish FA tour of North America in 1921. He played for the Scottish League XI 14 times.[3]

In May 1923, Brownlie was appointed player-manager of Dundee Hibernian, who were renamed Dundee United later that year.[4] He continued to play for a further season, but later made one further appearance in an emergency, at the age of 40 in 1926. His first managerial spell with the club found early success, with the Division Two title in 1925, and again in 1929, but he left the club in April 1931 on the brink of a third promotion.

He returned in 1934 with the club at a low ebb, one away from bottom of Division Two, and helped to effect a partial revival before he left again in October 1936. A third and final spell came in season 1938–39, in a dual role with Sam Irving; both men were also appointed as directors of the club at this time. In May 1939, Brownlie announced that he was giving up both roles due to the pressure of his other business interests.

After leaving his position at Dundee United, Brownlie continued to regularly attend the club's matches and saw the side finally return to Scotland's top division in 1960.[5] In January 2019 it was announced that Brownlie was to be inducted into the Dundee United Hall of Fame at a dinner the following month.[5]

Honours

As a manager
Dundee United
  • Scottish League Division Two: 1924–25, 1928–29

References
  1. "Sat 22 Mar 1919 Scotland 2 Ireland 1". www.londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  2. Jimmy Brownlie, Footballer 1885-1973, The Blantyre Project, 9 May 2016
  3. "Scotland FL Players by Appearances". Londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  4. Gracie, Steve (2008). A Passion For Survival. Arabest Publishing Dundee. ISBN 978-0-9558341-0-3.
  5. "HALL OF FAME 2019 - JIMMY BROWNLIE". Dundee United Football Club. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
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