Biography
George Browell, the first of three brothers to play for City in the early years of the club’s history, was the Tigers’ first right half. Browell was born in Walbottle, then a bucolic village alongside Hadrian’s Wall and now an outer suburb of Newcastle. He joined Hull City in September 1905 from County Durham based Northern Alliance side West Stanley, on the same day that another Tigers stalwart Jacky Smith made the same move, and went on to become one of City’s most prominent regular players in the pre-World War One period.
Browell was a constant presence in the City first XI for the club’s first five Division Two seasons, scoring the first of his three senior goals in April 1906 against Burslem Port Vale. He missed only four games during the 1909/10 season as the Tigers missed out on promotion to Division One by the narrowest of goal average margins. In the 1910/11 season he was again a regular starter during the first half of the season and in two matches during September 1910 against Bolton Wanderers and Fulham all three Browell brothers were selected for the Tigers’ starting eleven. George dropped out of the first team picture in the early weeks of 1911, just as younger brother Tommy Browell came to prominence as a potent goalscorer for the Tigers. He left the Tigers in the 1911 close season.
After rumours that George may return to the Tigers’ fold, he signed for Division Two and local rivals Grimsby Town in November 1911 and spent the rest of the 1911/12 season at Blundell Park, making 23 senior appearances. In the 1912 close season Browell returned to his home village of Walbottle and in December 1913 he briefly re-signed for West Stanley, the club he joined the Tigers from eight years earlier. He joined the British Army in September 1914, a few weeks after the start of World War One, and had risen to the rank of Company Sergeant-Major by February 1918 when he was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), only to be injured at Calais a few weeks later.
Later in life George returned to Walbottle and worked in a local steel works, dying in August 1951.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 21 November 1884, Walbottle
Hull City First Game: 30 September 1905, Burton United H (Division Two), 20 years, 313 days old
Hull City Final Game: 15 April 1911, Blackpool H (Division Two), 26 years, 145 days old
Clubs
West Stanley, Hull City (1905-1911), Grimsby Town (1911-1912), West Stanley (1913-1914)
Hull City Record
Career: 208 apps, 3 goals
George Browell| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1905/06 | 31 | 1 | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1906/07 | 38 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1907/08 | 35 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1908/09 | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1909/10 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1910/11 | 21 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |