Robert "Plumber" Brown was the second, the younger of the two Robert Brown's to pay for Dumbarton at much the same time, the other being "Sparrow". They even overlapped for three seasons. Plumber was named for his trade. He was a plumber, one born in Motherwell but moving to the Vale of Leven as a young child as his father followed his work as a coachman to the wealthy. 

He was also a one club man although he spent the better part of the second part of his life still in the shipyards but in Dundee. He joined Dumbarton in 1882 as an attacking half-back cum inside-forward. In winning the 1883 Scottish Cup Final he was the latter in combination with "Sparrow" Brown outside him. More local representative honours followed until in 1885 he was finally selected for the international team. As it happened he had to refuse as the game was in Glasgow and he was on a work assignment in London. However, when Scotland travelled to Wales for the next game and were a man short he was able to get to Wrexham to fill in at inside left rather than inside right for his only cap. Scotland won 1-8.