Iain Brown

Born: 1958; Died: September 7, 2013

Iain Brown, who has died aged 55, was a much respected teacher and rugby official who played a crucial role in the development of young talent including two Scottish international captains, Gavin Hastings and Jason White, as well as other eminent future internationalists such as Scott Hastings.

He also coached the young Sir Chris Hoy, when the future multi-Olympic gold medal winner dreamed of rugby rather than cycling greatness.

His sudden death, on Saturday, while on a family holiday in London, has shocked the world of Scottish rugby and led to many tributes to his contribution.

Since the early days of Rugby Union in Scotland, enthusiastic school teachers, prepared to give of their time to progress the game have always been amongst its pillars.

In a teaching career lasting 33 years, every one of these years spent at George Watson's College in Edinburgh, Mr Brown did more than most to make Scottish rugby succeed.

From the beginning, as a humble member of the physical education staff, he taught the game, ensuring that Watsonians were well schooled in the basics.

Along the way he sent many hundreds of boys through to club rugby, with Watsonians and other clubs.

As well as playing a significant role in developing the Hastings brothers and White - who both went on to be British Lions - he also coached Marcus Di Rollo, who played as a centre for Toulouse, Edinburgh, and Scotland.

However, Mr Brown's rugby interest did not begin and end at George Watson's stadium at Myreside. He was one of the driving forces in the Scottish Schools Rugby Union over many years and was president as well as that body's representative on the full Scottish Rugby Union committee between 2001 and 2005.

He was also a coach of coaches, acting as one of the principal teachers at the Scottish Rugby Union's grass-roots coaching courses, where club volunteers learned the basics of coaching, which they then took back to their clubs.

The success of the Scottish Rugby Union's courses and the many qualified coaches who came through these courses is as much Mr Brown's legacy as his successes at Watson's, which included coaching the School's Under-15 and Under-16 teams to three wins in their age group Brewin Dolphin Scottish Schools Cups.

Although so closely linked with Watson's, Mr Brown was, in fact, a Royal High School man; educated there, and playing in a very good school XV, before going to Jordanhill College in Glasgow where he gained his teaching qualifications at the Scottish School of Physical Education.

Rugby was always his passion, but he was far from a single sport man. As a young man he had excelled at basketball; he took a cricket team at Watson's each year and was interested in all sports: "He could see the bigger picture," as long-term colleague at Watson's, Roy Mack, observed.

The suddenness of Mr Brown's passing stunned everyone at his old school. The principal Mr Gareth Edwards said Mr Brown had always been a good friend to everyone at the school.

"Iain always worked tirelessly in the best interests of the innumerable young people with whom he came into contact over the course of an illustrious career," said Mr Edwards. "He will be profoundly missed."

Other tributes came from the former Scotland captain and British Lion Jason White, who said: "Broon, as we knew him affectionately, was a massive influence on my rugby career at the beginning because he was in charge of the boarding house when I first came on a scholarship down to George Watson's.

"He was a PE teacher and a key man within Scottish Schools rugby but, above all, he was a great bloke who gave a lot of his time over a great many years to rugby at Watson's, within schools and in general. It's a real shock to everybody to hear of his death."

Currie coach and Watson's teaching colleague of Mr Brown, Ally Donaldson, also paid tribute.

He said: "We've just opened the new centre for sport at the school and that was Iain's vision, his drive to get that project done.

"Every nut and bolt in that place was how he wanted it. He was so proud of it."

Mr Brown is survived by his wife, Shona and daughters Laura and Lisa.

Matt Vallance