A member of the Pilkington Harriers club, Ormskirk born Brian competed in three Commonwealth Games and at the Munich Olympics in 1972. In 1971 he held the British record for the 100 metres at 10.1 sec.
He was also part of the British Bobsleigh Team. After his competitive career he went on to coach speed and strength training for sportsmen including both St Helens and Wigan rugby league teams.
He assisted with sprint training at St Helens RFC in the mid-1980s when the squad would train on the artificial surface at Boundary Road.
Former scrum-half Neil Holding remembers him with a smile: “There’s one quote from him I’ll never forget for obvious reasons.
“He put his arm around my shoulder and says: ‘you’re the quickest thing I’ve ever seen over 30 yards.’
“It didn’t sink in until I finished playing. When looking back at games gone by, I’d say to myself…he definitely knew his stuff!”
He was also a Life Model for several Lancashire colleges and appeared on the cover of the Frankie goes to Hollywood ‘Relax’ single posing as an Atlas figure.
Brian trained and worked as a self-employed podiatrist for more than 10 years before his retirement after which he enjoyed travelling, walking and sketching while remaining competitive for Ormskirk Bowling Club.
His funeral will take place at Burscough Crematorium, Pippin Street, at 2 pm on Tuesday, 6 January 2026. No flowers, any donations to Cancer Research.
We thank Cuthbert Jackson for his help with this obituary.