College Sports

By HAROLD WILSON Staff Writer Most football observers associate the Texas College football team with the color purple.

Those close to the Steers' inner circle, however, know how important brown has been to the overall look of the team.

As long as the Steers' new football program has been around, so has head coach Jay Brown.

Entering his sixth season as the program's unquestioned leader, Brown is the one constant of the team. And only Brown remains from the original Steer edition that returned to the field in 2003 following a 40-year plus absence.

During the first five years under Brown's guidance, the Steers won Central States Football League titles their first two seasons in the conference. Along the way, TC knocked off a NCAA Division I program (Prairie View A&M), started one season ranked No. 14 in the nation, finished another at No. 25, developed a reputation for being a transfer hotbed, and even produced a few professional talents along the way.

An East Texas native who graduated from Jacksonville High School, the 44-year old Brown longed to return near his home after starring at Henderson County Junior College (Now Trinity Valley Community College), where the defensive end/linebacker made the all-conference team twice. Brown played two seasons at Stephen F. Austin after leaving HCJC.

"Some days I look around and wonder, what happened to everybody," Brown said. "One of the things that I'm proud of is that I could stick to something. This is home for me, I love East Texas. Not saying I won't ever leave, but it has to be a good situation."

Brown began his coaching career at SFA, going from student assistant to graduate assistant. From there, he moved on to New Mexico State to work first under Jim Hess (defensive line) and later Tony Samuel (running backs). Brown became defensive coordinator at Mississippi Valley State upon leaving New Mexico, his last stop before landing in Tyler in 2002.

While at Mississippi Valley State, Brown met former Texas College president Dr. Billy C. Hawkins, who informed him of his desire to return football to the institution and for him to lead that team. In the meantime, Brown accepted a job at John Tyler for one season as an assistant, but before he knew it, the TC football program was ready to begin the next season -- and off he went.

"I went to Mississippi to work my way up with the intention of one day being a head coach," said Brown, whose Steer squad opens the season Saturday afternoon on the road against his old school, Mississippi Valley State. "I've enjoyed the experience. I'm still humbled to be a head coach and athletic director."

Doubling as athletic director, Brown has played a big part in the overall landscape of TC sports. Since Brown's arrival, TC has added five different teams to double the school's total to 10 intercollegiate sports.

Each enjoyed a run of success before this year. The women's basketball team qualified for nationals in 2006 while the men's squad captured the Red River Athletic Conference earlier in the year.

The men's soccer team won the RRAC in 2007, and the volleyball and softball teams went to the playoffs last season. Also, the women's track team sent an athlete to nationals three straight seasons from 2004-06.

"We've seen a lot of change internally and externally with the program," said Brown. "That's something that we can look at as an accomplishment."

The football team has arguably been the biggest hit since coming back. Despite an enrollment of less than 1,000, TC continues to serve as a haven for transfers or other overlooked, and perhaps even downtrodden, players searching for a second chance -- attracting loads of guys with professional potential and NCAA Division I experience along the way.

"Football, we've had a lot of stories," Brown acknowledged. "Figuring out what structure would work at Texas College has been the biggest challenge. You're injecting football into a high education environment that wasn't structured for a football program or a lot of athletic programs in general."

The challenges of building a brand-new program, and retaining high-level talent on a consistent basis, levels off with the joy it brings others.

"The best part is dealing with the student-athletes, talking to the parents and seeing the gleam in their eyes when you're offering (the kids) the opportunity to do something special," he said. "Also, meeting interesting people in the community, alumni and staff and hearing the enthusiasm in their voice when they talk about Texas College football."

To make it work, though, goes back to having the talent and Brown admits to having had an abundance over the years, including four All-American selections and multiple CSFL Defensive Player of the Year winners.

"I've had some of the most talented athletes I've ever coached come through," he said. "I've seen some of the most remarkable people in general -- very intelligent students, good kids with an intense desire to become something."

For Brown, putting certain players above others is a hard chore -- seeing he tries to appreciate each.

"They all played a role, a part in Texas College football history," said Brown, who threw out names such as El Manuel Allen, Dathan Brown, Jonathan Combs, Derek Degrate, Saul De La Cruz, Ryan Miles, Dontay Spillman and Mike Williams, among others, as being instrumental in helping the program grow.

"The list just goes on-and-on. You just wish you could put them all on the same team with the best coaches and you could do something special."

Many argue without their glue, Brown, the program possibly couldn't stick around. Brown dismissed that notion, saying TC is on solid ground after building something special from the ground up.

"Change is part of life," he said. "There's going to be someone to replace me (and others). Texas College football is stable enough to survive whether Jay Brown is here or not."

READY FOR SEASON: Coach Jay Brown started the Texas College football program six years ago. On Saturday, the Steers play Mississippi Valley State.
(Staff Photo By Herb Nygren Jr.)