Catching Up with Larry Brown

A multi-sport talent (including in baseball, perhaps his best sport at the time) at former Crim High School in Atlanta, Larry Brown signed with Georgia in 1994 to play both football and basketball for the Bulldogs.

On the gridiron, Brown earned All-SEC recognition at tight end as both a junior and senior in 1997 and 1998, respectively. Upon his departure from Georgia, Brown’s 46 starts were tied for the most in Bulldog history by a non-kicker, and career receptions and receiving yards (80 for 1,077) were both the second-most in history by a UGA tight end. Playing under three head basketball coaches at Georgia as well, he totaled more than 300 points and 200 rebounds in roughly 900 minutes of play as a center-forward for the Bulldogs. Although it’s been a quarter-century since Brown’s collegiate career ended, he remains one of the school’s last two-sport standouts.

Brown’s one season in the NFL concluded with an appearance in the Super Bowl. Since then, he has been a successful high school basketball coach. UGASports caught up Brown at Oglethorpe County High School in Lexington, Georgia, where he serves as the Director of In-School Suspension and Head Boys Basketball Coach for the Patriots.

UGASports: A highly touted tight end-defensive lineman and basketball player at Crim High, Larry, you were injured while playing quarterback, of all positions, midway through your senior season against Carver. (Stepping in for a suspended quarterback, at 6-foot-5, 240-pound Brown passed for two touchdowns and ran for another score in a 26-6 win over Carver). Please explain your injury—and how did it affect you and your recruiting process?

Brown: “I tried to spin out of a tackle and injured my knee. At first, it was believed my knee was just hyperextended. I missed the rest of the regular season before returning for two playoff games. I also played in one basketball game my senior year (against Decatur in early December 1993). I dunked during the game, and when I came down, my knee felt really out of place. I thought, ‘Oh, no, something is really wrong.’ My knee got reevaluated, and, come to find out, I had a torn ACL all along. I was devastated. As far as getting recruited, I thought it was pretty much over for me. But the colleges still came around and recruited me pretty hard. By then, technology and medicine had gone to another level and arthroscopic surgery was relatively new. I had that done and was able to bounce back within a year.”

UGASports: Was there another school you considered attending besides Georgia? And, in the end, why did you decide to become a Bulldog?

Brown: “My recruiting came down to Georgia and Texas. With Texas, I really liked the head coach, John Mackovic. Coach Mackovic came and visited, and accompanied me to my physical therapy. Through him, I got to know Texas’ head basketball coach, Tom Penders. Texas and Coach Mackovic didn’t let my injury bother them. And, when I visited Texas, I had a great visit. But Georgia was so close to my home in Atlanta. Also, I had a preexisting relationship with Mark Slonaker (UGA basketball assistant at the time under head coach Hugh Durham). I had gone to high school with Georgia basketball player Shandon Anderson, who was a couple of years older than me. Mark had recruited Shandon when he was at Crim. I guess I had caught Mark’s eye. He and I stayed in close contact from there.”

UGASports: As a true freshman on the Bulldogs’ football team, you were redshirted. Then you played sparingly on the UGA basketball squad (Brown appeared in six games for a total of 16 minutes for the 1994-95 season) before you reportedly left the program “to concentrate on academics.” Describe this setback—and how it actually benefitted you in the long run.

Brown: “Academically, it was tough for me when I first got to the University of Georgia. I was failing two classes in my first quarter. It was decided I needed to press pause with basketball to concentrate on my studies. After tearing my ACL in high school, and getting redshirted my freshman football season, my first basketball season at Georgia was my first taste of competition in a long time. So, to have that kind of taken away from me, it made me get my act together quickly. I wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t miss any more time away from football or basketball because of academics. From that point on, my GPA was around a 3.0 the rest of the way to graduation. And, in turn, with the kids I’ve coached, I’ve put emphasis on their academics—on them graduating from high school.”

UGASports: Was it challenging for you to play two sports—and play them both well—at a major university, especially when you also had to concentrate on maintaining your grades?

Brown: “Like in high school, I found that football in college came somewhat easy to me. However, unlike in high school, I found that playing basketball in college was kind of a challenge. With football, I was much bigger than the average safety trying to guard me, and usually much faster than the average opposing linebacker. However, with basketball, as only a 6-foot-5 center in the SEC, I was at a disadvantage. Still, I enjoyed the challenge of it and just wanted to get on the court and play. I think that’s why I love the sport of basketball as much as I do. As far as juggling the two sports, I had no problem with it. I remember during my junior football season (1997-98), we barely lost to No. 1-ranked North Carolina in overtime in basketball in Athens. That night, they got me on a plane bound for Tampa so I could join the football team to start practicing a few days prior to the Outback Bowl against Wisconsin. But it was no problem at all. Like I said, I just wanted to play.”

UGASports: During your time at Georgia, it was reported you held the school record for the most head coaches played for by an individual athlete. In fact, during the summer of 1997, it was noted that you had played for more football and basketball head coaches (six) in three years as a Bulldog than UGA had employed (five) in the previous three decades (from 1964 until 1995). Take us through your head coaches at Georgia.

Brown: “In basketball, Hugh Durham was the head coach for my first year. He was replaced by Tubby Smith, who was there for two years. When Tubby left for Kentucky, his assistant, Ron Jirsa, was the head coach, so there wasn’t a huge transition entering my final year. Although the basketball team might have been under three head coaches during my four years, we averaged more than 20 wins per season, which I think is still a school record. (Georgia’s 83 wins from the 1994-95 through the 1997-98 seasons, or 20.75 wins per season, remains a program record for a four-season stretch.) We went to the NIT my first year, followed by two NCAA Tournament appearances with Tubby, including in the Sweet Sixteen [in 1996], and, finally, to the NIT’s Final Four my last year. With football, I was signed by Coach [Ray] Goff and played for him for two years, and then we had Coach [Jim] Donnan. But, remember, (laughing) we also had Coach Mason who was with us for about a week (Brown referring to Glen Mason’s approximate one-week tenure as UGA’s head coach in December 1995)! That’s a total of six head coaches for me.”

UGASports: Was the transition from Hugh Durham to Tubby Smith a difficult one for you?

Brown: “I guess, it started off that way because I wasn’t technically on the team when Tubby became head coach. The year before, I had put basketball on hold to concentrate on my studies. Mark [Slonaker] had recruited me and was an advocate for me to play basketball, and Hugh Durham was my head coach—and they were both suddenly gone. No one on Tubby Smith’s staff knew who I was when he became head coach. I went and spoke to Tubby, told him I had played a little the year before, and I wanted to play again because I had since gotten my studies in order. I respect Coach Smith to this day because he told me although I could try out for his team, he couldn’t make any promises that I’d make the team. So, I guess I was on a trial run at first. But, once I got out there, I guess he saw something in me as I remained on the team.”

UGASports: While at Georgia, you individually accomplished a lot on the gridiron. When it comes to football at UGA, what personal accolades are you most proud of?

Brown: “When Coach Donnan got to Georgia, we started implementing two-tight end sets and throwing to the tight ends more. So, I benefitted from that. I played with some great tight ends: Jermaine Wiggins and Jevaris Johnson. Randy McMichael was around then, followed by Ben Watson, Leonard Pope… So, I’d like to think I was a small part of [the foundation] of Georgia being known as ‘Tight End U.’ Also, toward the end of my collegiate playing career, I earned some academic accolades, including a couple of male-athlete-of-the-year-type recognitions. I’m proud of those [accolades], especially considering the rough start I got off to in academics.”

UGASports: Speaking of ‘Tight End U.,’ what are your thoughts on Georgia’s tight-end room during the Bulldogs’ recent championship run?

Brown: “Man, the athleticism of Brock [Bowers] and Darnell [Washington] is off the charts—and I played with some rather athletic tight ends at Georgia. ‘Fast and athletic’ is what comes to mind when I think about the tight ends the last two years. It was amazing what those guys did—and Darnell continued it into the NFL Combine. And, of course, he also adds size. I’m looking forward to seeing what Darnell can do at the next level.”

UGASports: Entering your senior season of 1998, you were the consensus No. 2-ranked tight end in college football and considered a first or second-round draft pick. Despite having what seemed like a fine season (31 catches for 431 yards, both third on the team), you wound up going undrafted. What happened?

Brown: “Immediately playing basketball right after playing football had kept me in pretty good shape for years. However, I didn’t have basketball after my senior football season, so I showed up to the Senior Bowl out of shape. I weighed around 270 when I normally played at about 255. I then went to Memphis to train for the combine—but I would find the combine to be nerve-wracking. After that, I didn’t have the best showing at pro day. At the same time, there was maybe the idea that I wanted to play professional basketball—maybe overseas. I don’t know where that came from, because I never thought of professional basketball as an option for me. Still, in the end, I sat there and watched the draft with a couple of family members and never got that call. It was amazing to see my name on the screen as ‘Best Available’ for a long time—but never receive that phone call.” (Notably, the player regarded as the No. 1-ranked tight end entering the 1998 season, Penn State’s Cuncho Brown, also went undrafted.)

UGASports: What did you do from there?

Brown: “The San Diego Chargers signed me as an undrafted free agent. After attending a couple of their minicamps, I flew back out to California to attend training camp in July. That’s when, at the airport, I found out that I had been released. Apparently, the Chargers couldn’t get a hold of me or my agent before I could fly out to training camp. So, I flew back to Atlanta and thought it was the end of the world—a real heartbreaker for me. But, when I got back to Atlanta, I met up with Mo Lewis who had attended Crim. (At the time, Lewis, who had been a standout linebacker at Georgia, was in the middle of a 13-year career in the NFL.) He told me to pick myself up and asked me to come work out with him. So, I started working out with him, and maybe a week or two later, the Tennessee Titans called.”

UGASports: You made the Titans’ 53-man roster for their 1999 season (the only undrafted free agent to do so), including their Super Bowl XXXIV appearance in Atlanta versus the St. Louis Rams. Tell us about your Super Bowl experience.

Brown: “I broke my ankle during the season, but I continued to play on it—all the way through the Super Bowl. I played in the Super Bowl with a broken ankle because I wasn’t going to miss that game for the world. To be playing in my hometown where I played my last college game (a Georgia win over Virginia in the 1998 Peach Bowl), with my family sitting on the front row, it was an awesome experience. Earlier in the week, there was a big ping-pong tournament involving the two teams, which I won. That made my experience a little more special. The only bad thing about the experience was the fact we lost the actual game (Rams, 23-16).”

UGASports: You had surgery on your ankle, whereby you were placed on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list, and eventually released. Where did you go from there?

Brown: “The bone removed from my ankle was about the size of a quarter. I could no longer run, jump, and cut on it like I once did—not even close. So, I decided I had to do something other than football. I first finished school and got my degree. I decided to go into education. I started coaching basketball as only an assistant at first. because you had to be a certified teacher to be a head coach. So, to be a head coach is what prompted me to go back to school and get my Master's and teaching certification.”

UGASports: Where have you been a head coach, and what are some of your team’s achievements at each coaching stop?

Brown: “I started my head basketball coaching career at Elbert County in 2007. There, we went to three Elite Eights. From there, I was at Maynard Jackson High School in Atlanta for four years. We went to the playoffs each of those four years. I then went to a middle school in Fulton County, Paul D. West Middle School. There, I started its football program and headed up its basketball program for both boys and girls. I eventually became the head boys’ basketball coach at Oglethorpe County High School where I just finished up my second year. We were second in the region this past season. After playing Social Circle in the region championship, we hosted a playoff game at home. It was the first time that had happened for the program in a long time.”

UGASports: Please tell us about your immediate family.

Brown: “I’m a divorced father of three. My oldest, Larry Brown III, graduated from Alabama State University. My other son, Jonathan Brown, attends Glenville State University in West Virginia on a football scholarship. (Jonathan, a defensive lineman, is entering his second year with the Glenville State Pioneers.) And, I have a nine-year-old daughter, Amari Brown. She lives in Charlotte. Man, she’s really growing. She’ll be as tall as me before I know it (laughing).”

UGASports: It seems you still associate yourself with the UGA football team. What about the basketball program under head coach Mike White? What kind of job do you think Coach White did in his first year at Georgia?

Brown: “I take my team to three or four Georgia basketball games per year. And, this past season, I think Coach White had the team turn a corner. I know they struggled down the stretch, but I saw much improvement from a team that was 10 games better than the year before. The program is definitely on the way up.”

UGASports: Finally, what is something you learned from your experience at the University of Georgia, which you apply to your current role as a teacher and basketball coach?

Brown: “I always go back to the academic side of things, and how I was nearly dismissed from UGA before I got my act together. So, my biggest thing is coaching kids and getting them graduated, and, for many, getting them into college. And my biggest accomplishment as a head coach is I currently have a 100 percent graduation rate. From Elbert County to Oglethorpe County, every young man who has played for me has graduated. I tell my players all the time, if I had to choose between basketball and graduating, basketball is a great sport and all—but I’d rather be graduating.”