James Ian “Jim” Brown – Boxer & Middle Distance Runner

Jim Brown grew up on a farm in West Lochaber, Antigonish County. His father William was generally considered to be the strongest man in the Lochaber area, and stories of Willie Brown’s strength and endurance are still told in Lochaber. As the saying goes “the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree.” Jim was someone who enjoyed anything he could find in the way of strenuous, demanding, even reckless, physical activity and would take on just about any challenge presented to him. For example, he was the first known and possibly only person to swim the five mile length of Lochaber Lake.

 

His full-steam-ahead, damn-the-torpedoes personality, combined with superior athletic prowess, led to his becoming a very successful athlete in two sports that require a high level of toughness and endurance, namely boxing and middle distance running. Jim was introduced to boxing by Charlie Taylor of North Lochaber. The story goes that, for his first competitive boxing match, he was pitted against a much more experienced opponent, who put quite a pounding on Jim, but couldn’t stop him. As he gained experience, Jim became a much better boxer, and his combination of skill, strength and especially toughness led to his becoming known as a highly effective boxer. Jim was an accomplished middle distance runner and competed successfully in meets throughout eastern Canada, at least as far away as Toronto. The mantle in his parent’s home was chock-a-block full with some of the many boxing and running trophies that he accumulated during his years of competition.

Submitted by Dave Brown, Lochaber, April 23 2023