The original 'Broon from Troon'

Jock Brown, father of the late Scotland rugby international Gordon Brown, has died at the age of 90. As well as producing his famous off-spring - Gordon's brother Peter is a former Scotland rugby captain - Brown senior was an outstanding sportsman in his own right. In football, he won Scottish Cup and Scottish championship honours at Clyde and Hibs, and was capped by his country. In rugby, he was physiotherapist to the touring All Blacks in the 1960s, and became the Scottish rugby team's first physio.

Although fit and active, Brown suffered a back injury seven weeks ago and was admitted to hospital.

"He celebrated his 90th birthday in February but was indeed very fit and enjoyed long walks," said Peter. "He couldn't recall how he'd suffered the injury and so it was a mystery to us, but when he was admitted to hospital he began to go downhill."

Brown died in the Biggart Hospital in Prestwick on Tuesday, his wife Margaret having passed away in November 2003. Son Gordon died in March, 2001 from cancer. The Brown boys - Gordon, Peter (or 'PC'), and John, were all formidable sportsmen. Gordon and Peter earned 57 Scotland caps between them and Gordon was a legendary figure in the British and Irish Lions successes in Australia and New Zealand in 1971 and South Africa in 1974.

Both regularly paid tribute to their father Jock as being their inspiration. Brown won a football cap for Scotland in 1939 against Wales, and was a leading Scottish badminton player and golfer who played off scratch at Troon for 20 years.

His football highlights included helping Clyde win the Scottish Cup in 1939 and being one of Hibs' two goalkeepers when the Edinburgh club won the league championship in 1947-48. Football then took him on to Dundee and Kilmarnock before he concentrated on a physiotherapy business, working initially with Kilmarnock but also moving into rugby.

Peter revealed: "He was our secret weapon in the 1970s because he always made us feel good as players. My dad was the Scotland team's first physio, but he'd actually been hired by the All Blacks in 1967 when they spent time in Troon and we had the strange situation of my dad being in their dressing room at Murrayfield and no physio in the Scotland dressing room.

"It was Jim Telfer who changed that, approaching him afterwards and asking if he would help us. My father was quite a quiet man, but he enjoyed working with the rugby players and the feeling was reciprocated. He was always very positive and would remind the players how good they were when they went into his room for a massage. His room was the most popular before a game and I often laugh when I see the discussion of psychologists in golf now, because he performed that role 30 years ago.

"It was great for Gordon and I to have father there. I used to be in the dressing room in the 1970s giving my team-talk and my brother and father were there with me too!"

During one game at Twickenham, when two Englishmen were lying injured at the same time, Brown committed what Scottish rugby fans could consider to be treachery when he went on to help treat England forward Nigel Horton with his 'magic sponge'. Telfer, the former Scotland captain and coach, recalled: "That was typical of him - he was what you would call a real gentleman.

"He was a quiet, unassuming down-to-earth man who just got on with the job. He gave up a lot of his time to be our physio, which wasn't paid back then, because he wanted to help us."

Peter remembers fondly how his father up until his death still tried to pass on his love for sport to his eight grand-children and six great-grandchildren.

"He was a lovely father who took time with his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He gave us his talents - his hand-eye co-ordination was great - and also the quiet confidence we grew up with that we were good enough so we would succeed. He used to say to me 'stick in until you stick out'.

"But he also placed a great emphasis on enjoying sport, with us all, to practise but so that we could enjoy sport. I don't think he ever lost his competitive instinct either. Just before his birthday this year I was walking with him on Troon beach when he told me about the only goal he let in during Clyde's cup win in 1939. It was in the third round against Rangers, when they won 4-1, and it was a penalty.

"He said to me: 'Rangers cheated. Bob McPhail placed the ball on the spot and I knew where he placed his kicks, but then Albert Lyness stepped up and hit it'. There he was, 66 years after the event, still complaining about it!"

Brown's funeral is expected to be a large affair. The memorial service will be held at Old Troon Parish Church on Tuesday, 6 September at noon.