July 24, 2003
ATLANTA — Georgia Tech Senior Associate Director of Athletics Sterling Brown, a member of the Tech staff since 1997 and a veteran of more than four decades in college athletics, has announced that he will retire on Sept. 1, 2003.
During his time at Tech, Brown has been responsible for facilities and game operations for all sports. In particular, he has overseen the two-year expansion and renovation of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field and the reconstruction of Russ Chandler Baseball Stadium.
“Sterling can be very proud of the role that he has played in giving Georgia Tech two of the best facilities in the nation,” said Director of Athletics Dave Braine. “Georgia Tech will miss him, and I will miss him personally. We all thank ‘Brownie’ for his years of service and wish him the best in his retirement.”
Reuniting with Braine for the third time in his career, Brown joined the Tech staff in September of 1997 from Wyoming, where he served one year as senior associate athletics director. Prior to that, he spent one year in the same capacity at Marshall.
Brown began his administrative career in 1982 at Ursinus (Pa.) College as assistant athletic director and head football coach. He moved to South Carolina in 1988, where he was an associate athletic director for seven years, serving the final year as interim director of athletics. He joined the staff at Virginia Tech in 1994 for one year before moving to Marshall in 1995.
Brown also coached football for 29 years, beginning in 1961 at Hofstra and continuing with stops at Navy, Villanova, Drexel-where he served as head coach-Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Temple and Virginia.
He earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master of education degree from East Stroudsburg State, where he earned Little all-America honors in football and played in the 1960 Senior Bowl. He was inducted into the East Stroudsburg University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.
Brown has served on the board of governors and executive committee for the Maxwell Award, which honors the nation’s top college football player and coach. He is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and is a 35-year member of the American Football Coaches’ Association.
Brown and his wife, Virginia, have a son, Thom, who played football at Maryland under former Georgia Tech coach Bobby Ross, and a daughter, Lisa, a graduate of South Carolina who is married to Scotty Sumner. Lisa and Scotty have one son, Jack.
