It was December of 1966 and Charlie Brown was a young coach, just starting out at Lincoln High School in Jersey City. His team had just lost to St. Joseph of the Palisades by 44 points.
“I remember driving home with my wife (Madeline) and I told her, ‘I don’t know if I can do this much longer,’ ” Brown recalled. “After the first year at Lincoln, I thought they were going to get rid of me. We were 2-17. We were horrible.”
Little did Brown know that 37 years later, he would be still coaching basketball, still carving his niche as one of the finest basketball coaches around.
Brown won 230 games in his coaching career at Lincoln, then moved on to the college ranks at Jersey City State (now New Jersey City University), where he has established himself as one of the finest NCAA Division III coaches in the nation.
Last week, Brown enjoyed a milestone that is not readily achieved in college coaching standards. When the Gothic Knights came from 16 points down in the second half to defeat Rutgers-Camden, 66-64, last Saturday night, Brown finally achieved his 400th career coaching victory at NJCU.
It took a little while coming, because the Gothic Knights are having an uncharacteristically poor season, with a 10-9 record overall thus far.
“It’s been a little bit of a downer, because this is probably the worst season we’ve had since I’ve been here,” said Brown, who is in his 21st season coaching the Gothic Knights and now owns a lofty 400-178 mark. “I had people congratulating me on it (the 400th win) and it hadn’t happened yet. We had been struggling, so I guess it was just a matter of time.”
Brown becomes only the second coach in the history of the New Jersey Athletic Conference to accumulate 400 coaching victories. Ironically, the other is Ollie Gelston, who was Brown’s college coach at Jersey City State. Gelston won 429 games at JCSC and Montclair State during his coaching career.
“I got a call from Ollie the other day, as well as some of my former players and other friends,” Brown said. “I guess that’s when it started to sink in. Since it finally happened, I’ve had a chance to sit back and do a lot of reflection. I’ve been really fortunate to have coached some great kids over the years and enjoyed some great moments. Some stand out more than others, but I’ve enjoyed all the time I’ve spent coaching.”
Brown said that he especially recalls the trips that the Gothic Knights made to the NCAA Division III Final Four (1986 and 1992), but that he cherished every year as coach.
“Obviously, when you reflect, you focus on the good rather than the bad, but I’ve been fortunate in that I haven’t had many bad times,” Brown said. “It’s probably why I’m still in coaching after 37 years. I’ve been blessed.”
For many years, Brown had to juggle a hectic schedule, first as a Jersey City public school teacher, then as an administrator and finally, a principal.
“I knew it was getting to be a grind, when one day, I got into my office at 6:30 in the morning, had a cup of tea, and began meeting with parents,” Brown said. “Then, I tried to have lunch, but there were more parents. Then, it was off to basketball practice at 4 p.m., then I had to do some recruiting that night and got back home at 11 p.m., realizing that I hadn’t had anything to eat, except that cup of tea in the morning, all day. When you’re younger, maybe you can do that, but not when you’re older.”
Brown retired from the Jersey City Board of Education four years ago, to strictly concentrate on coaching and athletic administration at NJCU.
“I really had planned a program in terms of retiring from the Board of Education and then going to New Jersey City University, so everything has worked out perfect,” Brown said. “Basketball has always been the buffer for me.”
Basketball has been a part of Brown’s life since he was a kid growing up in Jersey City. He became a legend as a player in Audubon Park, being the fastest lefty off the dribble the city has ever known.
Brown never gave coaching a thought. Playing was his life, especially with the famed Jersey City Bondsmen program, where he was nurtured and taught. However, when Brown was 17 years old and playing for the Bondsmen, the coach of the Bondsmen, John Stallworth, gave Brown some added responsibility.
“The Junior Bondsmen (13 and 14-year-olds) needed a coach, so John made me the coach,” Brown said. “It’s been a part of my life ever since.”
So was John Stallworth a part of coach Brown’s life, coaching along side Brown every step of the way, until Stallworth passed away two summers ago.
When Brown collected the 400th win Saturday night, one of his first thoughts was of his long-time friend.
“John was really into this, the statistics, the records,” Brown said. “When I thought about him, I realized just how much I missed him. He’s the one that got me into all of this. Everything I did, I did with him. He was so much a part of my life for so long, since I was 17 years old. We did everything together. It’s a shame he’s not here to share this with me.”
While the Gothic Knights are struggling through a tough season, Brown is trying to keep a level head.
“We have not had a losing season here in 32 consecutive seasons,” Brown said. “That’s the goal now. We don’t want to break that record. We’re taking it one game at a time and going from there.”
Brown and his wife have been blessed with three children, sons Charles (who played at New Jersey Institute of Technology) and Marc, who was a standout at Siena and is still playing pro ball overseas, and daughter Lorie.
“One of the real special times of my life was when Charles was at NJIT and Marc was at Siena,” Brown said. “And there were Browns all over the headlines of the newspaper. That was a fun time for me, running from my games to go see my boys play. I have a lot of good memories. I’ve really been blessed.
Added Brown, “When you’re younger, you don’t appreciate things much. You just do them. But now, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be around coaching. I’m fortunate to be happy and successful. I couldn’t ask for a better life. I’m more thankful now than ever.”
And NJCU is thankful that it has such a great coach as Charlie Brown. Here’s to 400 more wins for the speedy lefty.
–Jim Hague