Greg's Story
Queenslander Greg Browning was a dual Olympian for Australia in men’s hockey, finishing fifth at Munich 1972 and winning silver at Montreal 1976. He began his senior club career with Redcliffe and was selected for the Queensland open team in 1969. Later that year, aged 16, Browning made his international debut against New Zealand in Melbourne, becoming the youngest player selected for Australia’s men’s team.
At Munich 1972, the 19-year-old helped Australia recover from missing the medal rounds to win its two classification matches and finish fifth. Four years later, Australia reached the Montreal Olympic final after defeating India in a preliminary replay and Pakistan 2-1 in the semi-final. New Zealand won the gold medal match 1-0, leaving Browning and his teammates with silver.
Browning was selected for a third Olympic Games at Moscow 1980. The players had voted in favour of attending and received their Olympic blazers, but the Australian hockey federation subsequently withdrew its teams amid government pressure surrounding the boycott.
Known as “Sundance” during his playing career, Browning represented Australia from 1969 to 1982, making 145 international appearances and scoring 28 goals. He contested four World Cups, winning bronze medals in 1978 and 1982, and three Champions Trophy tournaments. Browning briefly retired after the Moscow withdrawal before returning for the 1982 World Cup and Champions Trophy.
Browning later established a successful coaching career in Queensland. He guided the Queensland Blades to multiple national league titles and coached eight players who went on to represent Australia in its Olympic gold medal victory at Athens 2004. He also served as a national men’s selector from 1989 to 1995.
His contribution was recognised through induction into the Hockey Queensland Hall of Fame and Hockey Australia Hall of Fame, as well as selection in Queensland’s Team of the Century.
