John Browning (29 November 1888 – 14 November 1964) was a Scottish footballer who played for Celtic, winning four league titles with the club. He is also remembered for his bribery charges in the early part of the 20th century.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Browning | ||
| Date of birth | 29 November 1888 | ||
| Place of birth | Dumbarton, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 14 November 1964 (aged 75) | ||
| Place of death | Alexandria, Scotland[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Outside Left | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Glasgow Perthshire | |||
| 1908–1909 | Dumbarton Harp | ||
| 1909–1911 | Vale of Leven | 30 | (8) |
| 1911–1919 | Celtic | 209 | (64) |
| 1911 | → Dumbarton Harp (loan) | ||
| 1912 | → Vale of Leven | 8 | (3) |
| 1919–1920 | Chelsea | 5 | (1) |
| 1920 | Vale of Leven | ||
| 1920–1922 | Dumbarton | 71 | (5) |
| 1922–1924 | Vale of Leven | 61 | (13) |
| Total | 384 | (94) | |
| International career | |||
| 1914 | Scotland | 1 | (0) |
| 1914 | Scottish League XI | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editClub
editBrowning played for local clubs Glasgow Perthshire, Bonhill Hibs, Vale of Leven, and Dumbarton Harp before arriving at Parkhead in 1911. He was loaned back to his two previous teams during his first year at the club.[2]
He made his league debut for Celtic in a 1–0 victory over Third Lanark at Cathkin Park on 2 November 1912 and soon displaced John Brown as the regular starter on the wing. He played with a straightforward, forceful attacking flair which led to plenty of goals. In seven years with Celtic he managed to score a goal every three games, including 15 from 38 league matches during the 1914–15 season.[3] He won four Scottish League titles in consecutive years, from 1914 to 1917 (the league continued during World War I).
He moved to Chelsea in June 1919 where he made just five league appearances,[4] before signing for Vale of Leven in June 1920, and then Dumbarton in September 1920;[5][6] in 1922 he went back to Vale of Leven again (the club now having re-joined the SFL) for two more years.[2]
International
editOn 28 February 1914, Browning made his first and only appearance for Scotland, in a goalless draw against Wales at Celtic Park.[7] He represented the Scottish League XI twice, again in 1914[8] and was also selected to play for the Glasgow FA against Sheffield in the same year.[2]
Personal life
editIn 1924, he and Archie Kyle, a former Rangers player, were found guilty of attempting to bribe Bo'ness player Peter Brown in a public house in Glasgow's Dundas Street: both men were sentenced to 60 days' hard labour.[9]
Browning's son of the same name was also a footballer;[10] in addition to playing for Liverpool[9] he also appeared for Dumbarton.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Browning, John (1911-19)". Celtic Graves Society. 3 December 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ a b c John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
- ^ "Celtic player John Browning profile". Fitbastats. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ "Chelsea player Johnny Browning profile". Stamford-Bridge.com. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ McAllister, Jim (2002). The Sons of the Rock - The Official History of Dumbarton Football Club. Dumbarton: J&J Robertson Printers.
- ^ "Dumbarton player John Browning (1) profile". Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ John Browning at the Scottish Football Association
- ^ "[SFL player] John Browning". London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
- ^ a b "Liverpool player John Browning profile". LFC History. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ Senior Football Players from the Vale of Leven in the 20th Century | Johnny Browning (Outside left: Dumbarton Harp, Vale of Leven, Celtic, Chelsea, Dumbarton. Senior career 1910 - 1924), The Vale of Leven
- ^ "Dumbarton player John Browning (2) profile". Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- Sources
- Celtic: A complete record 1888-1992 by Paul Lunney (ISBN 1-873626-27-4)