SALISBURY, Md. -- Tom Brown, best known around Salisbury for founding Tom Brown's Rookie League, died last week. He was 84.
On Monday, we spoke with several people who knew Brown, including his son Jimmy. We learned about the man who redefined the culture and attitude around youth sports in Salisbury.
Brown's professional sports career was certainly memorable. A two-sport athlete, he played baseball for the Washington Senators and football for the Green Bay Packers.
Brown won two Super Bowls in Green Bay under Head Coach Vince Lombardi. And it was Lombardi who gave Brown a piece of advice that altered the course of Brown's life and the lives of countless families on Delmarva.
Brown told WBOC about it during an interview back in 2015.
"It wasn't about football, it was about the game of life. When your football playing days are over, he said, you're going to have the rest of your life, find something that you do well, find your niche," said Brown. "And wow, I found my niche working with young kids, and then he said make a contribution in the community. I think he would be proud of me for what I've done for 40 years."
What Brown did for 40-plus years was run Tom Brown's Rookie League.
"My dad had no other coaches, he was the only one, so he's instructing everybody," said Jimmy Brown. "There's a gentleman who played in the first two Super Bowls, he didn't need anything else, he just wanted to grow the game and make these kids enjoy it more than when they started."
Jimmy told WBOC a story that encapsulates who his father was and why his league was so special.
It all started when a six-year-old asked to umpire a baseball game. Mind you, this kid didn't have any umpire gear on, and considering the boy was a child, he wasn't what you would call 'properly credentialed.' It didn't matter to Tom, though.
Jimmy said his dad could tell how much it would mean to the boy, so after a quick test, that little league game had a new umpire.
"My dad says this, he says, 'okay, can you say safe?' And the little kid says, 'safe!' And then he says 'can you say out?' And the little kid goes 'out!' And he says, 'okay, you're hired!' said Jimmy Brown.
Jimmy said what made that moment all the more amazing was that his dad made sure every parent in the crowd was fully aware of how important the moment was to that young boy.
"Those parents knew not to say a doggone thing to this kid, and he was umpiring his older brother's eight and nine-year-old game," said Jimmy Brown. "There's no other league like it, it was amazing!"
Jimmy isn't the only one who saw his father's keen sense of the moment give way to a life-altering memory.
Tanner Pizza, one of Brown's former players, told WBOC about a youth basketball game he will never forget.
Pizza's team was down by two, the clock was ticking down, and Pizza had the ball in his hands with the game on the line.
"Mr. Brown I remember would always referee the games, he'd referee every single game throughout his rookie league and I remember I had the game-winning shot," said Pizza.
Looking back at the decades-old memory, Pizza believes his feet may have been inside the three-point line. But, much like the six-year-old umpire, Brown could tell it was more important to give Pizza the win than to take away a memorable moment on a technicality.
"He saw that moment, saw I made the shot, probably could've called it a two and went to overtime but ended up calling it a three, we won the game," said Pizza.
From Super Bowl champion to championing the love of the game, Tom Brown will always be remembered as a legend on the Eastern Shore.
Celebration of Life:
Jimmy said the family is planning a public celebration of life for July 19th. The exact details haven't been worked out yet, but Jimmy said he'll have more information as the date moves closer.
If you have any questions, you can contact Jimmy at jimmybrown4@hotmail.com or at 703-999-8415.
You can also contact Tom's daughter, Jessie, at jbrown24693@gmail.com