Center Asst. Coach Marvin Brown 12/28

Marvin Brown Center

By Dion Clisso PrepsKC Managing Editor
Posted: December 28, 2011 - 5:00 PM



Center made a splash last season winning the West Central Conference and advancing to the playoffs in Missouri Class 4.
Coach Bryan DeLong and his staff are working hard to build that winning tradition at Center. DeLong’s staff is a key part of the success the Yellojackets have had the last three seasons. One of the coaches that have been with DeLong all three years at Center and as a co-assistant at Shawnee Mission North before that is Marvin Brown. Brown is the defensive coordinator for Center where he also coaches linebackers and fullbacks on the offense.
Brown isn’t originally from this area but he brings a wealth of football knowledge and experience to DeLong’s staff. Brown attended DeMatha High School in Washington D.C. where he earned a scholarship to the University of Alabama.
At both DeMatha and Alabama Brown learned a lot of the values and beliefs that help him coach players at Center today.
“The first coach that affected me was Bill McGregor, which was the head coach at DeMatha High,” Brown said. “He was a father figure that helped me establish my core beliefs of toughness and hard work. 
“The second most influential coach was Dabo Swinney (current Clemson head coach) who at the time was an assistant coach at Alabama that recruited me and convinced me that it was the place for me. The biggest thing Coach Swinney did for me was the off the field transition to the college life, not only the more rigorous classes but all the distractions at U of A.  He took the time to work with me  with more than just football and taught me how what we do as coaches involves so much more than just X’s and O’s.”
Brown’s experiences have helped shape him as a coach. He said he tries to use those experiences to bring a focused message to his players.
“I believe it is important for me to stress three key traits to our players,” Brown said. “The first is enthusiasm for the game of football. The second is mental and physical toughness not only in football my life as well. The final trait I emphasize is technique as it applies to all the positions I work with at Center.”
Brown’s transition to successful assistant coach after being a player for many years has come with some interesting developments. He said he finds himself becoming more like his old coaches every day.
“I try to implement my philosophy by using experiences I have had as a player because in my life I have been a player much longer than a coach,” Brown said. “But I am growing in my coaching ways and every year find myself acting and talking more like some of my previous mentors.”