I first met Coach Billy Brown, who passed away two weeks ago at the age of 88, in the late 1970s when he was coaching at West Kemper High School in DeKalb. I was probably 19 or 20 years old and had begun covering high school football games for The Meridian Star.
In fact, it is likely that one of the first people I ever met in DeKalb was coach Brown. I’ve always had the habit of shaking hands with both head coaches before a football game and introducing myself so they would know who I was and why I was walking on their sidelines.
When I extended my hand to Coach Brown and he took it my definition of what a handshake meant certainly changed. He had a grip unlike any other. The thing I liked about Coach Brown is that he would look you straight in the eye when he shook your hand.
I have shaken his hand many a time over the last 45 years. It actually became a little game with us. He would shake my hand and I would try to figure out a new way to survive it.
I finally resorted to pushing my hand a little further up his arm and grabbing his wrist. That put a little twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face.
Coach Brown began his coaching career in Shuqualak in 1959 and after stints in Okolona and Nanih Way he returned to the place he graduated, DeKalb High School, as head coach in 1967. He coached there through two name changes (first West Kemper, then Kemper County High School). Once the playoff system began his teams won nine of 12 district titles.
Coach Brown was inducted into the Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall fo Fame in 1990 and the East Mississippi ‘Community College Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
I’m really not sure about the time and date of my first handshake with Coach Brown, but I can be very specific about the last one.
It was a tad more than two weeks ago, just before 10 a.m.. on Aug. 9. He and Frances, his wife of 65 years, were sitting in their lawn chairs on the North side of the Kemper County Courthouse waiting for the memorial service for Sheriff Mike McKee to begin.
As soon as he saw me his eyes lit up. I moved toward him to shake his hand and he began trying to stand up. I begged him to just sit there and let me come to him. He would have none of it.
He pushed himself up, looked me straight in the eye and extended his hand. I took it and received a handshake that means more to me than I can explain. He said, “you’re doing a good job with the paper,” then grabbed my shoulder in affirmation.
It was the best handshake I will ever receive.
Austin Bishop, AKA The Old Sports Dude, has been covering high school, college, amateur, and professional sports since 1975 and is an ordained Assemblies of God minister. He may be contacted by email at starsportsboss@yahoo.com or by phone at 601-938-2471.
