A product of Houghton le Skerne School, Tom Brown guested briefly for Portsmouth during the Great War, and also played for the Close Works club in Darlington before joining the ‘Pompey’ staff as an amateur during the 1919 close season. Portsmouth won the Southern League championship in 1919-20, but Tom appeared in only five matches, although never on a losing side, and returned to his native county to play for Spennymoor United in the North Eastern League.
In January 1920, Charlie Webb signed the 22-year-old winger as a professional and drafted him straight into Albion’s Southern League team where he took over the left wing duties from Jack Best. Albion became founder members of the Football League’s Third Division in 1920 and Tom remained first choice on the left flank for the initial two months of the season, but then relinquished his place to Zach March. He helped the reserves win the championship of the reorganised Southern League’s English Section and finish runners-up in the South Eastern League, but at the end of the season he was released and joined Cardiff City on a free transfer in August 1921.
Tom subsequently played for Bristol City (May 1922), South Shields (June 1923) and Luton Town (May 1924), but performed only a fringe role with each before dropping into the Western League with Poole Town in 1925.
Tom played 30 matches for the Seagulls in 1920-21 and scored 1 goal.