by Anna Morrison
first published in The Stentorian, in December 1997 (Vol. XVII, No. 2, Page 9.)
Coach Brown: since the beginning
Coach Branson Brown has been at NCSSM since the school opened in 1980, along with other faculty like Dr. Jon Miller, Dr. Charles Britton, and Dr. Virginia Wilson. Brown has worked in the Physical Education Department since he began, but his first year he also worked as an SLI, or Residential Advisor as they were known then. Throughout the years Brown has watched the sports program at NCSSM grow and change.
According to Brown, NCSSM did not originally intend to have a varsity sports program. However, cross-country was started as a club in the fall of 1980 by interested students like Doug Appleyard and Ken Murphy, Class of 1981. [sic - they are both members of the Class of 1982]
"[At the City/County meet in 1980] the other teams were laughing at us because we had tacky uniforms," Brown said. "I found nine gold shirts. We put NCSSM on them and ran."
Their club would soon be the beginning of the NCSSM varsity sports program.
Since NCSSM was not a member of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) at the time, the team was not allowed to finish the meet. If they had finished, they would have placed third. By 1981, NCSSM was an NCHSAA member, and by 1985 the school had all of the varsity sports now in existence.
Since his first year as an SLI, Brown has worked in the Physical Education Department full-time, assuming the responsibilities of maintaining a varsity program.
"I do all the athletic scheduling with advice from my coaches. I am in charge of interviewing the coaches, and I propose the budget [to the Parents' Council]." Brown said. "The athletic responsibilities are a lot more than scheduling. You have to get referees, basketballs, prepare the gym, do concessions and find bus drivers." Brown is also the Physical Activity and Wellness teacher for half of the junior class.
One of the things that Brown has appreciated most has been the progress of sports at S&M. "I consider myself one of the luckiest coaches in the state. I've been able to watch something grow like my own children. The first principal, F. Borden Mace, told me that [NCSSM] would never have a Division I athlete." NCSSM has had 25 Division I athletes, students who have [been] accepted and play for teams like UNC, and at least 150 others to play in colleges.
Some of NCSSM's graduates have gone on to set records and compete on national levels in their sports. Will Turner, Class of 1984, set the ACC Record in the triple jump while at NCSU. Keith Bazemore, also of the Class of 1984, won the US All-Natural Superlift Weight Lifting Championship in 1993. NCSSM also holds a number of state and regional records in track and swimming. In 1992, and again in 1993, NCSSM won the Wachovia Cup, which encompases the abilities and records of all varsity sports.
"My greatest thrill, other than delivering my two boys, was winning the 1993 Wachovia Cup because that proved that the first one wasn't a fluke," Brown said.
After 17 years at NCSSM, Brown still loves working at the school. He said his favorite part is the kids.
"Y'all are the kind of kids I want my own running around with," Brown said.
[The Stentorian, Vol. XVII, No. 2, December 1997, Page 9. Digital NC online newspaper archives]
The original web page can be found here: https://newspapers.digitalnc.org
