Hall of Fame

1987 Hall of Fame Inductees

Philip J. Brown - Coxswain (1878-1945)
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Philip J. Brown whose active association with the St. John's Annual Regatta, as an oarsman and a coxswain, spanned thirty years of participation in one or other of those categories, was born on Merasheen Island, Placentia Bay, in 1878. He received his early education in that community and later attended St. Bonaventure's College in St. John's. He was later to take up permanent residence in the Capital.

At the turn of the present century he went to work as a dry-goods clerk with the progressive firm of George Knowling Ltd. at St. John's. He was actively associated with a local boys' brigade - the Catholic Cadet Corps while attending St. Bon's and that relationship continued as he entered commercial life. Notably through the Brigade (C.C.C.) he became involved in sport. In view of his early association with the fishing community of Merasheen, it is not surprising that as he engaged in Brigade sports activity he began to show marked proficiency as an oarsman. His first appearance on the waters of Quidi Vidi came in the Brigade-Football race rowed in the Regatta of 1901. He stroked the Catholic Cadet Corps crew in that race, finishing second. His fortunes improved in the Regatta of 1902 when he stroked an Amateur crew to victory in 9:31 1/5.

Phil Brown continued in the role of stroke oar for Amateur, Brigade and Mercantile crews in the Regattas extending from 1901 to 1911. In 1913 at age 35 he decided to abandon the strenuous role of oarsman to make his debut as a coxswain. It never ceased to amaze people - particularly those who associated bulk and brawn with rowing proficiency how a dimunitive little fellow like Brown proved himself to be such a superb stroke oar. They now began to entertain some further doubts as he took over the role of coxswain speculating whether having spent ten years 'taking orders' he could now effectively reverse his position in issuing instructions.

Such qualms were effectively laid to rest by Brown's performance as coxswain in the Regatta of 1914. He steered crews to victory in the Fishermen's, the Tradesmen's, and the Mercantile races and crowned his performance by capturing the Championship race with a crew of Logy Bay fishermen in the Cadet in the time of 9:46. As a coxswain Phil Brown was on his way. However, the Great War of 1914 1918 brought the suspension of the Regatta for those War years.

Following hostilities in 1919, with the world ready to resume peace-time pursuits, the Regatta was revived. It was in those post-war years, and notably with the advent of what were termed the Golden Twenties that Phil Brown began to record a seemingly endless stream of victories as coxswain at our annual Regatta at Quidi Vidi. In the races of 1920, for example, he steered no less than eight crews to victory on that days program capping his achievement by winning the Championship race with the East End Truckmen in the Nellie R in 10:12 1/5. An equally impressive list of victories fell to Brown's lot the following year. He coxed five winning crews over the finish line, the Tradesmen, Truckmen, Factory, Services, and Laborers and rounded off those wins by again taking the Championship race with the same Eastern Truckmen's crew that carried off the honors in 1920. He continued to manifest his same winning ways in 1922 winning six races on that year's program, but failed in his bid for the Championship race, finishing second.

The Regattas of 1923, 1924, and 1925 were equally impressive with Brown's accomplishments. Included in those years of achievement were victories in the Championship Races of 1923 and 1925.

The accompanying list of Phil Brown's successes on Quidi Vidi will reveal and confirm that Phil Brown was the outstanding coxswain of his generation and was widely acknowledged as such during his lifetime.

In temperament, Phil Brown was a quiet unassuming short statured soft-spoken gentleman loved and respected by his crews for his deft ability to elicit a maximum of response from his charges. There was always the response of a totality of effort. His retiring nature and his self effacing attitude in minimizing his own abilities to the maximum glory and credit of the crews under his command, made him a popular figure not only with his charges but with the public at large.

It was ever a source of amazement to those who spent much of their time at lakeside assessing the quality of crews, how a soft spoken gentlemanly little fellow like Phil Brown, in his role as coxswain, could elicit such a measure of respect and response - and calmly and quietly so - from six brawny well-muscled giants plying the oars in the shells under his command. A possible explanation lies in the fact that Phil Brown's charges were well aware that Brown, the master strategist, likes his charges, had served his apprenticeship as an oarsman. That they admired and respected Brown had been tested in the fires of experience. In a word, he had been over the course and had come up through the ranks. His outstanding quality as one of our most famous coxswains was, we suggest, gained in the old fashioned way ... he earned it and what's more, deserved it.