Biography
Full back Michael John “Mick” Brown was born in Walsall and grew up in Gloucestershire but his parents both came from Hull. He joined the Hull City groundstaff in 1954 after impressive performances for junior football sides in the Gloucester area. After making his way in the City youth team while also learning his trade as an engineering apprentice, Brown was handed his first professional contract by manager Bob Brocklebank in October 1958. However Mick was competing for a first team place with Andy Davidson and the consistency of the Scot meant that Brown remained a stalwart for the City Reserves team but was rarely used in the first team during his nine seasons on the Tigers’ books.
His first two starts came in October 1959 when the absence of Frank Harrison required a defensive reshuffle. Four and half years elapsed before his next start in April 1964, with City now managed by Cliff Britton – Davidson had started all but three of the intervening 237 senior fixtures in that time. When Brown reappeared again in February 1966 City were flying high in the Division Three table, but it was an important FA Cup tie versus Nottingham Forest that saw Mick deputise at left back for Dennis Butler. Brown filled in for Butler on five more occasions in the closing weeks of a hectic title winning season including the final day win against Southend United that secured top spot. Following this relative avalanche of starts Brown resumed his role as City’s reserve team captain and left the club in the 1967 close season after finding that opportunities of game time in Division Two were even more limited than in the third tier.
Brown joined Division Four side Lincoln City in July 1967, in his only season at Sincil Bank he made 43 senior appearances and missed only eight league games. His most notable moment at Lincoln came in a November 1967 League Cup tie against Division Two side Derby County when he stuck the nut on Kevin Hector and was dismissed – Hector then broke the deadlock moments later and sparked a late 3-0 win for Brian Clough’s Rams. Mick left the Imps in the 1968 close season and joined Southern League side Cambridge United. During his first season at Abbey Stadium Mick gave up playing and in January 1969, having already achieved his coaching qualifications, he became first team coach and youth team manager for the U’s – the first team side duly won the 1968/69 Southern League title.
In January 1970 Mick was appointed first team coach at Division Two side Oxford United, working under the management of his former Hull City teammate Gerry Summers. In October 1975 Mick stepped up to become the first team manager at Oxford United when Summers left the club. Brown led Oxford for four years until his resignation in July 1979, having overseen a relegation from Division Two in his first season followed by three years of consolidation in the third tier. Brown managed Oxford United for 187 senior fixtures.
Brown became assistant manager to Ron Atkinson at West Bromwich Albion in August 1979 and two years later in June 1981 he followed Big Ron to Manchester United and performed the same role. He left Manchester United in November 1986 when Atkinson was replaced by Alex Ferguson and was Bolton Wanderers’ assistant manager under Phil Neal’s management between June 1987 and May 1992.
After a short spell coaching in Malaysia, Brown returned to England to launch a third career in football as a scout – first at Coventry City, then at Blackburn Rovers and Manchester United where he worked for Alex Ferguson. He left Old Trafford again in 2004 but continued to do scouting work for many years, serving West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland, Ipswich Town and Aston Villa. He announced that he would give up scouting in May 2021 at the age of 81 when Aston Villa revamped their talent spotting system, although during the following seasons the lure of retirement was clearly weak and he undertook match-by-match scouting missions for West Ham United until manager David Moyes left the Hammers in June 2024.
Alongside his life dedicated to football, Brown was also a capable cricketer who spent several summers playing for Hull CC and also played for Gloucestershire’s county second XI in his teenage years.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 11 July 1939, Walsall
Hull City First Game: 24 October 1959, Huddersfield Town H (Division Two), 20 years, 105 days old
Hull City Final Game: 20 May 1966, Southend United H (Division Three), 26 years, 313 days old
Clubs
Hull City (1958-1967), Lincoln City (1967-1968), Cambridge United (1968-1969)
Hull City Record
Career: 9 apps, 0 goals
Mick Brown| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958/59 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1959/60 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1960/61 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1961/62 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1962/63 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1963/64 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1964/65 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1965/66 | 5 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1966/67 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |