Reggie Brown, Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame inductee
Today’s interviewee is Reggie Brown, who was inducted into the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame last week. Brown was the AJC’s all-classification player of the year and a Parade and USA Today All-American in 1998, when he led Carrollton to Georgia's Class 2A title. A wide receiver, Brown went on to play at Georgia and in the NFL. Brown is in his fourth season as receivers coach at Cambridge in north Fulton County.
1. This is the 25th anniversary of Carrollton’s 1998 state title. Can you tell us your memories and mindset during that time? “The year before, we lost to Washington County in the state championship, and we had a really strong team. The seniors who graduated played really important roles, but coming back for our senior year we knew we were the favorite to win. Everyone’s confidence was high, maybe a little too high because we lost a game to a rival, Villa Rica, and they had a really good team. But that loss was important to put things into perspective that we weren’t unbeatable, and it allowed us to focus on one singular task. Not too long ago, I remember watching YouTube and seeing the state championship in Early County and just thinking how great our defensive line and linebackers were. Early County couldn’t run the ball on us at all. Seeing that game again and being really proud of my team and teammates that I grew up with was a really cool memory.” [Carrollton won 37-18. Brown had seven receptions for 149 yards and two touchdowns and finished with 1,046 receiving years on the season in an era when 1,000-yard receivers were still rare. Brown also played almost every snap on defense. Carrollton was 50-6 during Brown’s four seasons.]
2. How was your transition to coaching? What’s it been like, and how did it come about? “I’m still working through what kind of coach I want to be, honestly. I’m working on theories of work ethic and what I need to be to extract 100% of these young men’s abilities. I’m constantly tinkering with methods. It’s been a real cool experience for me. I like being around the silliness of the players. It brings you joy with so much seriousness in your life, just to go out there and hear them cut up. I’ve really enjoyed it. The opportunity kind of fell in my lap. One of my business partner's friend, his kids went to the school. I’ve been in this community for a while. He was just like ‘Hey man, would you like to help Cambridge football?’ I thought about it a lot here and there. Being a football player, I didn’t want to be a coach. I just saw that the coaches never got to be at home with their families. People don’t understand how much time it takes to be a coach, especially at a high level like college and the NFL. Coaches went to bed in their office, and that turned me off from wanting to pursue that career. Just being a receiver coach for a high school isn’t something that’s going to feed my family but it’s something I really enjoy. I take pride in trying to be the best at it that I can be. I’m glad it fell into my lap because it brings me happiness in my life. [Brown was asked if he planned to pursue coaching more full-time. He said, “Right now I’m content. … Down the road if I get a bit better at this craft, I could put more time into it, but I have my own young kids who also require my love and care and attention. I’m not willing to give that up right now.”]
3. What are your feelings on being inducted into the Hall of Fame? “It’s a great honor. I feel like honestly this is the best [honor of his career] for football. Being considered one of the best high school football players in the state where the best high school players come from is a great accomplishment. There’s been so many great athletes, and you get to see and play against them. Being a part of a group of guys like that is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I’m proud I got the chance to see it happen.”
4. Can you tell us more about your experience being a student-athlete at Georgia? “It’s college, so that’s the best time of your life. As far as a college athlete playing in Georgia, it’s revered across the country, it’s a highly looked upon position in life, you play in front of 100,000 people every Saturday, I mean, glory, glory, glory. At the same time, we used to kid that regular students didn’t really understand the grind you go through as a student-athlete at that caliber of a university and a team. It’s constantly hard work, and then you have to get your grades and focus on the career you’d like to have after you’re done playing. The dedication and sacrifices needed to maintain a level of proficiency at this sport is tough. But at the same time, it’s still the greatest time of your life because you're a kid, and it’s carefree. It’s a totally different environment once you start getting a paycheck to do something. It was a fun memory. You have friends for life. It was just a wonderful time, especially playing for Georgia and being from Georgia.”
