Congratulations to Coach Brown and the great Thomasville program. I know a few Thomasville alumni who knew Coach Brown quite well, including my friend O.C. Davis. I asked someone if O.C., might have played for Coach Brown, but I was told that he played for Thomasville hall of fame coach George Cushwa, of whom the Bulldogs impressive stadium is named after. Coach Cushwa, was inducted along with Ashley (now Ashbrook) High Coach Everette Carlton, a Lincoln County native who is buried just north of Lincolnton at Daniels Church.
Great to hear from you, Lincolnton. Hope all is well with you, my friend.
Actually, both of the above. I was one of the few fortunate folks to play for Coach Cushwa and Coach Brown. Coach Cushwa was my head coach, and Coach Brown was my position coach as an assistant.
Forty plus years later, I consider Allen and his family to be my friends, but have too much respect for him to claim to be his peer. Like hundreds of guys younger than me, he'll always be my coach.
Seven state championships, 331 wins and coach of the first team in North Carolina to go 16-0. He has nothing left to prove and deserves all the accolades he can get. More importantly, he commanded and was awarded respect by those around him. Neither social status, athletic prowess nor skin color mattered to him. He gave and expected that respect from his players and it didn't matter whether it was the star qb or the manager. A dying breed, unfortunately. We should all aspire to his integrity, his dedication and his passion.
