Inducted into the International Hockey Hall of Fame and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. George Vincent Brown was an American sports promoter and sports official. His enthusiastic effort and passion for sports led to the development of various organized sports and sporting events. Many of the sporting events that George championed still continue nearly 100 years later, but it might be considered that his two greatest sports accomplishments were the organization and promotion of the Boston Marathon and ice hockey. Though he was an avid advocate of amateur sports his entire life, Brown promoted and organized all kinds of sports at both professional and amateur levels. Such sports included boxing, football, figure skating, hockey, indoor track and field, rowing, and wrestling. He was also a founding influence on the growth and development of the United States Olympic Team. Upon his death in 1937, The Boston Globe printed a photograph of his graveside services, noting that "men from all throngs of life" came out to honor his passing. The Globe's sports writer, Victor O. Jones, remarked that Brown's congenial manner toward people and his passion for sports earned him respect in the sporting community. Jones went on to write of Brown, "There have been few men who contributed more to sport that this same George Brown. He was a sports enthusiast long before he ever became a sports promoter. He was the latter more or less by chance, and to his dying day he always kept his business, sports promoting, apart from his hobby, which was amateur sport." In January 1938, the United States Olympic Committee marked his death with a moment of silence. In 1961 and in 1973, he was posthumously inducted into the International Hockey Hall of Fame and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, respectively. A love of sports would be his family legacy. His son, Walter, was the General Manager of the Boston Bruins, and founding owner and General Manager of the Boston Celtics. For every year since 1905, save one, Brown or one of his descendants have been the starter of the Boston Marathon. In 2009, a commissioned sculpture of Brown, "The Starter," was installed on the Hopkinton town common near the Boston Marathon start line. His notable lifetime achievements included 1904 - 1936 Manager, official, and coach of the United States Olympic Team, 1905 - 1921 Manager of the Boston Athletic Association track and field games, 1905 - 1937 Starter of the Boston Marathon, 1919 Became the manager of the Boston Arena, 1924 Managed the US Olympic Hockey team, the first year featuring Winter Olympics.

Biography written by: Jennifer White

References:
The Boston Globe, (Boston, Massachusetts) 20 Oct 1937, Wed • Page 20.
The Boston Globe, (Boston, Massachusetts) 21 Oct 1937, Thu • Page 23.