Former Scotland captain Brown dies aged 83
Peter Brown won 27 caps for Scotland in an illustrious playing career
- Published
Former Scotland rugby union captain Peter Brown has died aged 83 following a long illness.
Born in Troon to a sporting family, Brown played at club level for West of Scotland and Gala, making his international debut in a home win against France on 4 January 1964.
Brown's father Jock was a football goalkeeper who won the Scottish Cup with Clyde in 1939, his uncle Jim played for the United States at the 1930 World Cup and his younger brother Gordon was a fellow Scotland rugby international, who also represented the British and Irish Lions on eight occasions.
A versatile forward, Peter Brown split his 27 caps between lock and number eight and was an effective goal-kicker - his 66 points for Scotland remains a record for a member of the pack.
He remained heavily involved with Gala after retiring from playing, and also had a successful career in accountancy.
In a statement, Brown's family said: "Peter underwent several years of chemotherapy treatment for myeloma, supported wonderfully by the haematology team at the Western General.
"Earlier this week, he was admitted to the Royal Infirmary following a fall at home. Peter passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Sunday 12 January.
"The family would like to express their gratitude to the Acute Medical Unit for their care and compassion."
Five of Brown's 13 Test wins came against England
Brown was known as 'PC' - his full name was Peter Currie Brown - and played in teams that beat England five times during his career.
Those victories included the famous 1971 victory at Twickenham, when he converted Chris Rea's late try to secure a 16-15 win - Scotland's first triumph there since 1938.
"PC was great company and his passion for Scottish rugby and the game in general always shone brightly," Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend said.
"His exploits on the field have gone down in legend, being a key contributor in some Scotland famous wins during his international career.
"He continued to be involved with rugby after he retired from playing, being involved with Gala then on the international stage once again with his work on various disciplinary panels over the years. He will be sadly missed."