Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame
Brown, Jr., Charles W.
Charles W. Brown, Jr.
- Induction:
- 2009
- Class:
- 1977
Lehigh's all-time leading scorer at the time of his graduation, Charlie Brown finished his career with 1,311 points. A four-year letterwinner and 1977 team captain, Brown earned All-Tournament honors in the 1976-77 Roanoke Invitational and led the Brown and White in scoring as a freshman, sophomore and senior. Brown was named to the All-East Coast Conference Second Team in 1975 after averaging 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds and shooting 46 percent from the field. He averaged 13.4 points over the course of his career, eclipsing the 1,000-point plateau on December 6, 1976.
Brown received a handful of awards during his time at Lehigh including the Chi Psi Award in 1975, the Walter J. Messner Award in 1976, the Bruce Thompson Award in 1977, and the North Jersey Alumni Association Outstanding Athlete Award in 1977. Brown earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Lehigh in 1977. Following graduation he played in numerous summer Pro and ProAm leagues in New Jersey and New York.
“Being inducted into the Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame is certainly one of the highlights of my entire life,” Brown said. “It's one of the biggest highlights I've ever had. I probably learned more about myself during my time at Lehigh than any other period up to that point in my life. I had lost a total of 12 games during my high school career, and so during my time at Lehigh I learned a lot about building character. All of the things people talk about in terms of overcoming obstacles and dealing with adversity, I learned that and more at Lehigh.”
Brown was a member of the Lehigh Alumni Association from 1987-89 and he served on the Lehigh Board of Trustees from 1989-1999. A founding member and first President of the Lehigh University Black and Latino Alumni Council (LUBLAC), Brown received the Alumni Service Award in 1985 and again in 1987 for his contribution to the Minority Student Body at Lehigh University.
Born in New Jersey, Brown starred at Morristown High School where he set the school rebounding record, averaging 20 per game. A First Team All-Morris County selection in basketball and an All-Essex and All-Morris County honoree in baseball, Brown garnered First Team All-State honors on the hardwood for group IV in New Jersey, the state's largest group. Brown earned varsity letters at Morristown High School in basketball, baseball, and soccer, garnering Second Team All-State accolades on the baseball diamond.
“I am thrilled that Charlie Brown is being inducted into our Athletics Hall of Fame,” said Brown’s former teammate and fellow member of Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame, Bill Griffin '79. “He is very deserving of this honor. Not only was Charlie a great basketball player here, he was a fantastic teammate, leader, and friend. Since he left Lehigh, he has become everything we all knew he would be...a successful businessman, a wonderful husband and father, and a giver within his community.”
Since his days at Lehigh, Brown has also been heavily involved in coaching, working with numerous high school, recreational and traveling basketball and soccer teams, for boys and girls. In 2004, Brown co-founded the Aurora Warriors Soccer Club, which was formed for the purpose of providing children of all economic backgrounds and cultures the opportunity to play traveling soccer in a competitive league which would normally be unaffordable.
“I met so many friends that are still very good friends today at Lehigh,” Brown said. “I met my daughter's godparents, plus my first and late wife at Lehigh. The Lehigh experience was something I will never forget.”
Currently, Brown is the President and Owner of BP Communications in Aurora, Illinois. “Anytime I tell someone that I graduated from Lehigh, their eyes light up,” Brown said. “The education one receives at Lehigh is second to none and the school's reputation is highly regarded and widely known.”
Brown’s late wife Debra graduated from Lehigh in 1977, and he married the former Bonnie Banks in 1996. Brown also has three children, including: daughter Chanel, a 2004 graduate of Clark Atlanta University where she was a standout on the tennis court; son, Charles III, a former track and field All-American at Carthage College; and son Cale, also a former track and field standout and soccer player at Carthage. All three children are on the Athletic Wall of Fame at Neuqua Valley (Ill.) High School.
Brown received a handful of awards during his time at Lehigh including the Chi Psi Award in 1975, the Walter J. Messner Award in 1976, the Bruce Thompson Award in 1977, and the North Jersey Alumni Association Outstanding Athlete Award in 1977. Brown earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Lehigh in 1977. Following graduation he played in numerous summer Pro and ProAm leagues in New Jersey and New York.
“Being inducted into the Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame is certainly one of the highlights of my entire life,” Brown said. “It's one of the biggest highlights I've ever had. I probably learned more about myself during my time at Lehigh than any other period up to that point in my life. I had lost a total of 12 games during my high school career, and so during my time at Lehigh I learned a lot about building character. All of the things people talk about in terms of overcoming obstacles and dealing with adversity, I learned that and more at Lehigh.”
Brown was a member of the Lehigh Alumni Association from 1987-89 and he served on the Lehigh Board of Trustees from 1989-1999. A founding member and first President of the Lehigh University Black and Latino Alumni Council (LUBLAC), Brown received the Alumni Service Award in 1985 and again in 1987 for his contribution to the Minority Student Body at Lehigh University.
Born in New Jersey, Brown starred at Morristown High School where he set the school rebounding record, averaging 20 per game. A First Team All-Morris County selection in basketball and an All-Essex and All-Morris County honoree in baseball, Brown garnered First Team All-State honors on the hardwood for group IV in New Jersey, the state's largest group. Brown earned varsity letters at Morristown High School in basketball, baseball, and soccer, garnering Second Team All-State accolades on the baseball diamond.
“I am thrilled that Charlie Brown is being inducted into our Athletics Hall of Fame,” said Brown’s former teammate and fellow member of Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame, Bill Griffin '79. “He is very deserving of this honor. Not only was Charlie a great basketball player here, he was a fantastic teammate, leader, and friend. Since he left Lehigh, he has become everything we all knew he would be...a successful businessman, a wonderful husband and father, and a giver within his community.”
Since his days at Lehigh, Brown has also been heavily involved in coaching, working with numerous high school, recreational and traveling basketball and soccer teams, for boys and girls. In 2004, Brown co-founded the Aurora Warriors Soccer Club, which was formed for the purpose of providing children of all economic backgrounds and cultures the opportunity to play traveling soccer in a competitive league which would normally be unaffordable.
“I met so many friends that are still very good friends today at Lehigh,” Brown said. “I met my daughter's godparents, plus my first and late wife at Lehigh. The Lehigh experience was something I will never forget.”
Currently, Brown is the President and Owner of BP Communications in Aurora, Illinois. “Anytime I tell someone that I graduated from Lehigh, their eyes light up,” Brown said. “The education one receives at Lehigh is second to none and the school's reputation is highly regarded and widely known.”
Brown’s late wife Debra graduated from Lehigh in 1977, and he married the former Bonnie Banks in 1996. Brown also has three children, including: daughter Chanel, a 2004 graduate of Clark Atlanta University where she was a standout on the tennis court; son, Charles III, a former track and field All-American at Carthage College; and son Cale, also a former track and field standout and soccer player at Carthage. All three children are on the Athletic Wall of Fame at Neuqua Valley (Ill.) High School.
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