It was near midnight on April 10; while watching a west coast baseball game, the dreaded news crawled across the bottom of the TV screen. Gary Brown had passed away. In the days since, tributes to the man Gary was and the successful football life he had lived have come from near and far.
His accomplishments speak for themselves. He was an outstanding running back and track athlete at Williamsport High School, led the Penn State Nittany Lions in rushing in 1988, was drafted in the eighth round of the 1991 NFL draft, and enjoyed successful years with the Houston Oilers, San Diego Chargers and New York Giants before embarking on a coaching career that began at Lycoming College. He gained a coaching reputation for developing 1,000-yard running backs, most notably during his years with the Dallas Cowboys from 2013-2019.
The likable Brown successfully separated his public football life from his private life but was generous in sharing his time with others. While I followed Brown from afar, one moment we shared is engrained in my memory bank.
During my time with Lycoming County United Way, I approached Gary to ask if he would appear in a video we were producing to promote the local United Way campaign. He graciously agreed to do so.
The segment involving Gary was to be filmed at the Lycoming College football field. On the day of the shoot, he appeared on time, ready to go, when suddenly the sight of youngsters playing on a nearby soccer field caught his attention. The youngsters were waving at him, and he asked if we could delay the filming. Enthusiastically, he jogged over to the crowd of kids and gave of his time engaging youngsters he had never met until that moment.
When he returned, he thanked me, saying, “OK, now I am all yours.”
One of those who knew Gary best, retired educator Steve Dewar, emotionally took the time to share his reflections on the man he first met as a sixth-grader.
“My relationship with Gary started when he was a sixth-grader at Curtin Middle School. I was his homeroom teacher and later his football coach. As a sixth-grader, he couldn’t yet play on the team, but I heard from his Pop Warner coach, Tom Losch, about how good an athlete Gary was, and I was excited to have him on the team.
“That Curtin team had some great athletes that included Victor Brace-Harvey, Corey Jett, and Allan Eck was our quarterback. During his time there, our team didn’t lose. I remember one game in particular when we were behind and got the ball on our own 3-yard line with less than a minute to play. I called time out and went out on the field and asked the players what they thought. Gary said just give me the ball. So I called his number, and on the very next play, he raced 97 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
“The players he had coached over the years loved him. You can’t believe all the messages that this wife, Kim, got, including people like Emmitt Smith. Everybody that knew Gary loved him, including his former coaches who contacted him constantly.”
Dewar then related a poignant example of that very statement.
“Kim got a call at the Gatehouse from Sam Gash, Gary’s teammate at Penn State, whose 12-year NFL career paralleled Gray’s NFL playing days. He asked how Gary was doing and expressed a desire to see him. Kim asked where he was, and Gash responded he was in Michigan. Kim explained Gary had wanted to come home to Williamsport to spend his last days.
“The next day, the phone rings again, and it was Gash calling and asking if he could come and see Gary. Kim asked aren’t you living in Michigan? Gash responded yes, but it was no big deal, and told Kim to look at the picture on her phone. When she did, the picture showed Gash in the parking lot at Divine Providence Hospital. He had come to spend a few hours with his friend Gary. After his visit, he got back in his car and drove back to Michigan. That is just one example of how much people cared for Gary. They loved him.”
While football was his fame, Gary drew notice as a baseball player, although the last time he played the game was in Little League. But when he graduated from high school and was headed to Penn State, he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox. Even though he hadn’t played since Little League, the Red Sox saw the potential he had as an athlete and how fast he was.
Speed may have been his early calling card, Dewar added.
“He once raced against Raghib “Rocket” Ismail (former Notre Dame and NFL speedster) in the 60-yard dash when he was attending Meyers High School in Wilkes-Barre in an indoor meet, and he beat him. Then in the 4×100 in the track state championships, he and Rocket got the baton at the same time, and Gary beat him again, and Williamsport won the state championship.
“People talk about him being drafted in the eighth round. The only reason he was drafted that low is because, in his last college game against Boston College, he broke three toes. He was having a hard time even walking, but he still went to the NFL combine and ran the best he could.”
Gary Brown lived his life with grace and class, even during the tough times that challenged him and his family. He coached and lived all over the country, but Williamsport was always his home.
Perhaps Dewar said it best.
“It is just such a loss. He was only 52 years old, and to be gone and leave a wonderful wife and three kids it’s just not right. And he has two great brothers, Kevin and Ryan, who are cut out of the same mold as Gary. We are all going to miss him; I know that.”
