George V. Brown
Builder of amateur ice hockey and Boston Marathon starter.
George Vincent Brown (October 21, 1880 – October 17, 1937) was an American sports official who pushed for the growth of sports like the Boston Marathon and amateur ice hockey across the United States. He worked with the U.S. Olympic Team from 1904 to 1936 as a manager, official, and coach. In 1919, he took over as general manager of the Boston Arena, which hosted indoor track, boxing, and hockey.
Brown started at the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) in 1899 as an assistant to the athletic director. From 1905 until his death in 1937, he served as the starter for the BAA’s Boston Marathon, the oldest annual marathon. For eleven of those years, he also managed the race. Between 1905 and 1921, he ran the BAA Indoor Games, and for over two decades, he was the BAA’s Director of Athletics. In 1910, he launched a BAA ice hockey team and later formed a football team. He spent 20 years on the BAA Governing Committee, moving from employee to club member and leader.
When ice hockey was still new in the U.S., Brown created an amateur BAA team in 1911 that played at the newly built Boston Arena. Over the next 20 years, he organized hockey events there, including Canadian-American games and college matches. After the Arena burned down in 1918, he convinced owner Henry G. Lapham to rebuild it. Brown became general manager and made hockey the main attraction. In 1934, Lapham bought the rival Boston Garden and put Brown in charge as general manager and vice president. Brown initially resisted professional hockey, preferring amateur play, but later accepted it and promoted the Boston Bruins at the Garden.
Brown also served as athletic director at Boston University and helped create its first hockey team in 1917. The school’s annual MVP award is named the George V. Brown Memorial Award. For the first Winter Olympics in 1924, he organized the U.S. Olympic hockey team, drawing seven of its ten players from the BAA squad; they won a silver medal. His contributions to hockey earned him induction into the International Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder in 1961, and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973.
Beyond hockey, Brown was a U.S. Olympic Committee member or manager from 1908 to 1920. He served as assistant track and field coach for the U.S. men’s team in 1924, 1928, and 1936, and was an official at the 1932 Los Angeles Games. The U.S.
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- George Vincent Brown
- Birth Date
- 1880-10-21
- Birth Place
- Hopkinton, Massachusetts, U.S.
- Death Date
- 1937-10-17
- Occupation
- Sports executive
- Known For
- Boston Marathon, ice hockey
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
During Brown's youth, ice hockey was in its infancy in the United States. In 1911, he formed and managed an amateur ice hockey team for the Boston Athletic Association (BAA), which played at the newly constructed Boston Arena. Over the next two decades, Brown organized hockey events held at the Arena, including Canadian-American games and collegiate competitions. When the Arena burnt down in 1918, Brown persuaded its owner, Henry G. Lapham, to rebuild. Brown was then named general manager and promoted hockey as its major draw. In 1934 Lapham purchased the rival Garden, and named Brown as its general manager and vice president. When professional hockey was first introduced and its teams sought to play at Boston's rinks, Brown opposed, favoring amateur competition. He later accepted the professionals and promoted the Boston Bruins playing at the Boston Garden.
Brown served as athletic director at Boston University (BU) and in 1917, was instrumental in the creation of the school's first hockey team. For the first 1924 Winter Olympics, Brown organized the U.S. Olympic Hockey team, with seven of the ten members coming from the BAA team. The team earned a silver medal. In addition to his primary passions—ice hockey, track and field, and the Boston Marathon—Brown created a BAA football team, officiated football games, and was an officer in the New England Football Officials Association for a dozen years. He also served as a member of the amateur boxing committee and organized national amateur championships from 1905 to 1920. Rowing was another sport for which he was an advocate, and for fourteen years, Brown was secretary of the Boston Interscholastic Rowing Association.
Reader's Guide
George V. Brown's legacy is defined by his long tenure as starter of the Boston Marathon from 1905 to 1937, a role that continued in his family for generations. Since 1905, for every year except one, a member of the Brown family has been the starter of the Boston Marathon. His son, Walter A. Brown, assumed the general manager position at the Boston Garden upon his father's death and went on to become general manager of the Boston Bruins and founding owner of the Boston Celtics. Brown's contributions to ice hockey were recognized with inductions into the International Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961 and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973. The BU hockey team's annual Most Valuable Player award is named the George V. Brown Memorial Award in his honor. In 2008, the Hopkinton Athletic Association commissioned sculptor Michael Alfano to create a statue honoring Brown, titled 'The Starter,' installed on the town common in 2009. Many of the sporting events Brown fostered have continued for over a century.
Did You Know?
- Brown served as starter of the Boston Marathon for 33 years, from 1905 to 1937.
- He organized the U.S. Olympic Hockey team for the first 1924 Winter Olympics, which won a silver medal.
- His son Walter A. Brown became general manager of the Boston Garden and founding owner of the Boston Celtics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is George V. Brown?
George Vincent Brown (1880–1937) was an American sports executive best known for championing amateur ice hockey and serving as the long-time starter of the Boston Marathon. He held leadership positions at the Boston Arena and Boston Garden while also supporting the U.S. Olympic program for more than three decades.
What was George V. Brown's role in hockey?
He became general manager of the Boston Arena in 1919 and later served as general manager and vice president of the Boston Garden starting in 1934. Through those venues he helped build the organizational and facility infrastructure that allowed amateur ice hockey to grow in the United States.
How long was George V. Brown the Boston Marathon starter?
He held the starter role from 1905 until his death in 1937, a total of thirty-two years. During that stretch he also carried the manager title for eleven of those years.
What was George V. Brown's connection to the U.S. Olympic Team?
From 1904 through 1936 he supported the American Olympic effort as a manager, official, and coach. In 1924, 1928, and 1936 he specifically served as an assistant track and field coach for the team.
Why is George V. Brown considered important to hockey history?
His roughly four-decade career linking the Boston Athletic Association, the Boston Arena, the Boston Garden, and the Olympic program made him a foundational administrator in American sports. Fans and historians credit him with helping establish the venues and structures that gave amateur ice hockey a lasting foothold in the U.S.
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