Former Blazer Tom Brown inducted into the Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame.
Before Tom Brown was a two-time Super Bowl champion and a Major League Baseball playerââand one of less than 70 people to have ever played both professional football and baseballââhe was a Blazer.Â
Brown, one of this yearâs inductees into the Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame, played football, baseball, and basketball for Blair before graduating in 1958.Â
Tom Brownâs son, Brad Brown, says that his father was competitive from an early age. âGrowing up [in] Silver Spring, [he] came from a very athletic background,â he says. âMy dad always [tells me] he played [sports] with kids that were two or three years older than him because thatâs what his older brother Richard was.â
At Blair, Brown was a gifted athlete and excelled at the three sports he played year-round. In particular, Brownâs talent in football led to interest from colleges. However, Brown insisted on playing baseball at the next level. âMy dad loved baseball [more] than any other sport,â Brad Brown says.Â
When Brown visited the University of Maryland in 1958, he leveled with head football coach Tom Nugent. â[My dad] said âListen, I want to play baseball too,ââ Brad Brown says, âand the coach [went] âno⌠we want you to focus on one sport.ââ Thatâs when Tom Brownâs father stepped in and told Nugent it was either allow him to play both or they would look at other schools. Nugent realized he didnât have a choice; he agreed to let Brown play both football and baseball on the condition that he earn a starting position on the baseball team.Â
During his time at Maryland, Brown enjoyed success on the gridiron and the diamond; he earned All-American and All-Conference honors playing both football and baseball. In his senior season in 1963, Brown sported an impressive .449 batting average, earning him an offer to play for the Washington Senators right out of college. That same year, Brown was drafted 28th overall in the NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. âMy dad had to make that decision of âdo I go football or baseball?ââ Brad Brown says. âHe obviously figured that he would have a much longer career in baseball, so he chose baseball.â
Brown signed a minor league contract in February of 1963. He ended up making the major league team in April, but Brad Brown explains that it wasnât just athletic skill that led him to get called up.Â
âHeâs down there in the minor league system and heâs doing real well,â he says, âbut it was Fidel Castro that had a huge impact on my dadâs career⌠The Senatorsâ first baseman was Cuban and [he went] back to Cuba after the baseball season,â he explains. âThe guy got stuck down there and he couldnât get out. They needed a first baseman⌠so they go, âlet's call up Tom Brown.ââ
After a year playing at the major league level and a couple of years floating around in the Senatorsâ minor league system, Vince Lombardiââthe legendary football coach and the namesake of the Super Bowl trophyââpersuaded Brown to make the switch to football and play for the Green Bay Packers.Â
Under Lombardi, Brown won the first two Super Bowls in NFL history in 1967 and 1968. In the 1968 offseason, Lombardi left Green Bay to become the coach and general manager of Washingtonâs football franchise and brought Brown with him. Brown would only end up playing a single game with Washington before suffering a season-ending injury and retiring at the end of the season.Â
Brown is the only athlete in history to have played for both Washingtonâs baseball and football franchises.Â
After retiring, Brown left a mark off the field as well. He created a youth sports camp in Salisbury called Tom Brownâs Rookie League. âMy dad wanted to teach kids the fundamentals of baseball, basketball, and football,â Brad Brown says. âHe had an impact on these kids. They came from all different backgroundsââmarried [parents], divorced [parents], white, Black, Catholic. It didnât matter to my dad. If you wanted to come out and play sports, my dad would love to have you.â
Brad Brown describes the attitude his dad brought to coaching. âI remember when we were playing youth football and there was a penalty, the referees would go talk to the coaches, [but] my dad [would say]... âgo talk to my players and let them decide what they want to do.ââ Brown continued to coach and oversee the camp for 40 years until he retired in 2015.Â
In his pursuits off the field, Brown was humble and made a point of passing along his sports wisdom to the next generation.âWhen he was coaching, he never wanted anyone to say âOh, thatâs Tom Brown over there,ââ Brad Brown says. â[It] was about the kids.â
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