Most of his 14-year professional career was spent with the La Plata-based Estudiantes, for which he appeared in more than 300 official matches and won two major titles. He also competed in Colombia, France and Spain.
Brown retired from football in late 1989 at the age of 33, after some months with Racing Club de Avellaneda.
International
Brown won 36 caps for Argentina, making his first appearance in 1983.[4] He was selected for the 1983, 1987 and 1989 Copa América tournaments, helping the national team to third place in the latter.[5]
Brown was also picked for the 1986 FIFA World Cup by manager Carlos Bilardo, as a last-minute addition: in spite of a serious knee injury suffered two years earlier that had not still fully healed, he was chosen to start ahead of ageing Daniel Passarella, being informed by the coach on the day before the opener. He went on to play all the games and minutes in Mexico, netting his only international goal, a header in the final against West Germany after a free kick by Jorge Burruchaga (eventual 3–2 win); in the last minutes he dislocated[6] his shoulder, but refused to be substituted.[7]
Brown was unrelated to the Scottish family of the same surname that produced six Argentina internationals in the early 20th century.[11] His son Juan was also a footballer, who played in Argentina and Bolivia.[12]
Brown's club and international manager Bilardo mispronounced his name as Bron, which he never corrected due to his respect towards the man who gave him his debut.[12] He died on 12 August 2019 in La Plata at the age of 62, due to Alzheimer's disease.[13][14]