John Alf Brown

John Alf Brown
John Alf Brown
Birth nameJohn Alfred Brown
Place of birthCardiff, Wales
Place of deathCardiff, Wales
Occupation(s)coal trimmer
Rugby union career
Position(s) Forward
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
St. Peters RFC ()
1901-1910 Cardiff RFC ()
1906 Glamorgan County RFC ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1907-1909 Wales 7 (3)

John "Jack" Alf Brown, colloquially known as John Alf or "Big John",[1] (October 1881 – 3 August 1936)[2] was a Welsh international rugby union forward player who played club rugby for Cardiff and county rugby for Glamorgan. Brown was capped seven times for Wales and although he missed facing the first touring South African team in 1906 with Wales, he faced the tourist with both Cardiff and Glamorgan.

Brown was reputed to be an extremely tough and physical forward player,[3] which was reflected in his manual occupation as a coal trimmer at Cardiff Docks. He died in 1936 from Pneumoconiosis.[4]

  1. ^ Davies (1975), pg 242.
  2. ^ John Alf Brown player profile Scrum.com
  3. ^ Billot (1974), pg 29.
  4. ^ Jenkins, John M.; et al. (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Rugby Players. Wrexham: Bridge Books. p. 27. ISBN 1-872424-10-4.