David Brown (rugby league)

Dave Brown

Personal information
Full name	David Michael Brown
Nickname	The Bradman of league
Born	(1913-04-04)4 April 1913 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died	23 February 1974(1974-02-23) (aged 60) Earlwood, New South Wales
Playing information
Position	Centre
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1930–41 Eastern Suburbs 94 93 194 0 667 1937–39 Warrington 93 48 91 0 326 Total 187 141 285 0 993 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1930–36 New South Wales 19 9 49 0 125 1933–36 Australia 9 7 26 0 73
Source: Rugby League Project and Yesterday's Hero

David Michael Brown (1913–1974) born Sydney, New South Wales, died on 23 February 1974 in Sydney) was one of Australia's greatest rugby league footballers.

Brown in his distinctive headgear was said to be one of the most admired sights in the game during the 1930s. He won two premierships with Easts and scored so many points, tries and goals and established so many records (some may never be bettered) that he is referred to as "the Bradman of league". In 2003 Brown was inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame and in 2008 he was named in the New South Wales rugby league team of the century.

As a child Brown lost the top of his thumb in a lawn-mowing accident. While playing football at school he badly broke an arm, dislocating the elbow and causing severe nerve damage which cost him the use of two fingers on his right hand. Despite these setbacks Brown was an all-round sportsman – an A-grade tennis player, champion junior surfer and a representative cricketer. Brown attended Sydney's Waverley College under the tuition of Arthur Hennessy, Australia's first ever rugby league test captain, who was the school sporting coach at the time.

The powerfully built centre joined the Eastern Suburbs club straight out of school. After just a handful of lower grade games Brown was promoted to the top grade. The following year aged just eighteen Brown was selected to represent his state – NSW in 3 interstate matches against Queensland. Soon after the teenager lost all his hair, after contracting a virus while swimming and took to wearing a hairpiece to cover his baldness.