One thing I miss about coaching is the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with students. Few professions are given the opportunity to place young men and women into situations where they have a chance to prove themselves.
I would not be where I am today without the positive influence of my high school baseball coach. He challenged me, but first he prepared me. He tossed me, as well as my teammates, into tough situations to see if we could handle the heat. “Opportunities for Growth” is what he called them. Many times, we would fail, but we grew and were even more ready for the next “Opportunity for Growth” to come along.
I remember one such “Opportunity for Growth” when I was the Head Baseball Coach at Howard Payne University in 1993. We were playing Texas Tech in a season opening 3 Game series. We loaded up 30 non-scholarship D-III Yellow-jackets into a couple of 12 passenger vans with roof racks full of gear and headed to Lubbock to take on a fully funded D-1 program. A team that had just come off their first ever 45-win season and top 10 national ranking. We were too stupid to be scared.
We stumbled through the first two games with minimal damage. The scores of the games were in between “blowout” and “sort of hung in there” area so I was pleased.
Entering game three, I had saved my best pitcher for last. A big left-handed kid that stood around 6’5 and could throw hard. I can honestly say that Howard Payne’s third game pitcher was better than Texas Tech’s, so I was excited about our chances of keeping it close.
Unfortunately, on the very first hitter my big lefty reached down to field a bunt barehanded, and in doing so he snagged his thumbnail on the turf, ripping it off his thumb. As I began the long painful stroll to the mound, I had absolutely no clue who I was going to put in. I had pitched about every player I had in the previous two games, and I personally was out of eligibility, or I would have pitched.
Standing on the mound, I looked over at my dugout for an answer. I spotted a little 155 lb. freshman left-handed kid, Shawn Brown, from San Angelo, Texas. I knew his fast ball could barely break the speed limit, but I had few other options. At the very least I knew he would compete and leave everything he had on the field.
So, I yelled his name, and Shawn sprang to his feet ready to pour it out for his team. Shawn looked about 14 years old, and those Texas Tech hecklers let him have it! Being a freshman was tough enough, but getting your college debut in front of 3,500 Tech fans was a bit tougher.
Handing him the ball I said, “this is something you can share with your kids someday.” He smiled and replied, “I got this Coach.” Fortunately for us, he pitched well.
We still got beat, but he did a super job under some very tough circumstances. Shawn walked away that night feeling great about himself, and his teammates slapped him on the back as a result
Shawn graduated from Howard Payne University a few years later with a degree in Ministry. He got married and was attending the Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas studying to be a youth minister when on September 15th, 1999, the unthinkable happened.
He was leading a “See You at The Pole” youth rally at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Ft. Worth, Texas when deranged person stormed into the chapel and started shooting people. Shawn Brown was shot and killed at the age of 23 while shielding others. Maybe some of you remember the shooting? If you go by the church today, there is granite memorial out front honoring Shawn and the others that were slain.
Shawn’s tragic death is a reminder that we have no clue what the future holds. Offer others hope every chance you get, and always remain THANKFUL for the amazing gift of just being here today on earth. I tend to take that incredible blessing for granted at times by assuming I am going to live forever.
Shawn Brown was one brave soldier. He gave 100% to baseball, school, family, and his God. He was doing what he loved when he died. It is heartbreaking that Shawn was not able to share that Texas Tech baseball memory with his children. Shawn’s life was wiped out by hate and trying to make sense of it is futile because it makes no sense.
I was given the privilege to coach Shawn; I can only hope that he was better for it.
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Todd Howey is a columnist for BrownwoodNews.com whose articles will appear on Fridays.
