Gary Brown became a legend on and off the field

Tagged under: District 4, News

Chris Masse sungazette.com/ | April 11, 2022

The first time I saw Gary Brown, he scared me. A lot.

I was 17 and watching the Houston Oilers play on television as Brown started running over defenders. I have always been a diehard 49ers fan but in 1993 and 94 I had a second favorite team because my childhood hero Joe Montana was now playing for the Kansas City Chiefs.

And watching Brown play, I knew this about him: He was a problem as pertained to my dreams of seeing Joe hoist another Lombardi trophy.

That 1993 season was the year Brown burst onto the NFL season, topping 1,000 yards despite not becoming the starter until the ninth game. He was a force and a major reason the Oilers won 11 straight games, while capturing the AFC Central Division championship.

As fate would have it, the Chiefs and Oilers did meet in the playoffs. Brown scored a touchdown, but the Chiefs won. Little did I know then that I would someday cross paths with Brown again.

Joe will always be my favorite athlete but looking back I wish the Oilers would have won that game and Brown would have gone on to become a super bowl champion.

That is how much I grew to respect the man Gary Brown was.

Above everything he did in the football realm, that is how I will remember Gary Brown. He was an outstanding human being who also happened to be tremendous at playing and coaching football.

Unfortunately, Brown passed away Sunday following a brave battle against cancer. Eventually cancer took his life, but it never defeated Brown. And his spirit will be carried on by the countless numbers of people who he impacted in a positive fashion throughout his life on a daily basis.

Many consider Brown the greatest football player in area history and his resume certainly is the stuff of legends. He graduated as Williamsport’s all-time leading rusher and made the seemingly impossible become routine while playing there from 1983-86. In his final season, Brown led Williamsport to the Eastern Conference championship. Had district and state tournaments existed back then, he may have well led the Millionaires to a state title. He was that good.

Brown played at Penn State and, ironically, will forever be fondly remembered by Nittany Nation for a play he made as a defensive back. As BYU and 1990 Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer were attempting to complete a late comeback in the 1989 Holiday Bowl, Brown delivered the play of the game. He hit Detmer, stripped the ball and returned it 53 yards for the clinching touchdown as Penn State won, 50-39.

Two years later the Oilers selected Brown in the eighth round and by his third year, he was one of the NFL’s elite running backs. He later topped 900 yards during his debut season with the San Diego Chargers in 1997 before adding another 1,000-year season as a New York Giant a year later. Wherever he went, Brown produced.

Brown retired following the 1999 season and came home, starting what became the next chapter in his football life. He began coaching at his alma mater and Lycoming College from 2003-05 before climbing the ranks to Rutgers and then the Cleveland Browns in 2009.

Remember Peyton Hillis? He was a 1,000-yard rusher in 2010 who became a Cleveland Brown folk hero and the Madden 2012 cover boy as a result. His position coach was Brown.

Getting the most out of his players was a Brown staple and it continued in Dallas where he coached from 2013-19. Many thought Darren McFadden’s best days were behind him, but when injuries ravaged the Cowboys in 2013, Brown helped him again become a 1,000-yard rusher. A year later, Demarco Murray set a Cowboys rushing record before Brown helped Ezekiel Elliott burst onto the scene in 2016.

Brown became Wisconsin’s running backs coach last year and reinvigorated that program’s proud running tradition. Braelon Allen ran for 1,286 yards and Chez Mellusi as Wisconsin went 9-4 and won the Las Vegas Bowl. Nobody knew that would be Brown’s last season coaching, but it was a fitting way to go out, the running back guru again working his magic.

Look at beyond the numbers, though, and one gets a true feeling for who Brown was. He was a beloved figure by his players, fellow coaches and fans. I have worked in Williamsport since and 1999 and can honestly say that the first time I read and/or hear a negative comment about Brown will be the first time. And I can guarantee that first time will never occur.

Brown had a special bond with his players and that played a major role in them so often excelling. He knew the Xs and Os, but Brown was even better at understanding people and what makes them go and he did that masterfully well.

Off the field, Brown was a loving husband, devoted father and committed brother. Like many famous athletes, Brown kept his life fairly private. He did some wonderful things for all the communities he called home but did so without ever seeking the limelight. He gave from his heart and, ultimately, he was all heart.

I never interviewed Gary but have worked with his brothers Kevin and Ryan over the years. Kevin also was a sensational football player and one of the district’s top offensive coordinators while coaching at Williamsport. Ryan was a key player on the 1999 Williamsport state basketball champion before starting for 2000 and 2001 teams which won district titles and reached the state quarterfinals. Like Gary and Kevin, Ryan also has become a tremendous coach, helping the South Williamsport girl enjoy one of the best seasons in program history last winter.

Again, though, Kevin and Ryan are defined more than by what they do as coaches. They are good, giving people. They are every bit Gary’s brothers.

It’s ironic. A man I once feared because of what he could do to my my favorite player’s team turned out to be a gentle soul.

As good a football player and coach as he was, Brown proved over and over again he was an even better person. Look at all his former players, teammates, colleagues, family members and friends. They are his true legacy and what a wonderful legacy it is.

We live in divisive times but appreciating who this man was is something which unifies all who knew him. So the best way to honor Brown is by emulating him.

If we can be a little like Gary Brown what a wonderful place this can be.

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