Al Brown

What makes a hero a hero? To some people, a hero is someone with super powers, who can fly, or bend steel. To me a hero is someone who makes a difference in people's lives, in a non-fictional way, and helps them with their problems in a non- selfish way. To me that explains my dad. Growing up from middle school to high school, his grades weren’t the best, but he was the sports jock, the ladies man, and the BMOC (big man on campus), that everyone wanted to be around. His coaches all saw big league skill in whatever sport he tried out for. But since he didn’t have the grades he sat out a few games. Due to this problem, he pushed himself to get his grades up.

He is my hero because of his reputation, his dedication, his motivation, and his relationship with his friends. He’s also a great leader that I really look up to, he does what he’s told, and does it to the best of his abilities. He’s a big inspiration in my life.

But the only thing is in his youth days he wore out his body so now he’s tired most of the time. But when we play sports he pushes himself to give us both a good time. And because of his coaching me though life, I am well on my way to becoming a leader, role model, and hero myself.

This is a true story about my dad, about my dad’s school experiences, before the days of video games and computer games, and the only television he watched was sports. His dad played baseball so he went and watched his games, thinking he would like to be like that some day, if not better. Also, he wanted to be a good friend. As a freshman in 1975 he joined the football team. During his parent's divorce he was such a great athlete that he practiced so hard and for so long. Everyone saw his improvements and wanted him on their team. He practiced long hours to hide his emotions and take his mind off of his parent's divorce. Through great coaching, he obtained great leadership and coaching skills. Now he is teaching me, not just through sports, but also in life. He also wants to build esteem and character, in not only young athletes, but also in young people. It is for this reason, and his dedication to helping others, that he is my hero.

Interviewed Al Brown on November 30, 2006.