Detailed, accountable, relentless and tough. 4 virtues that Syracuse HC Fran Brown lives by and preaches to his disciples. That famous DART acronym he instilled into the verbiage of the program when he first got there isn’t a cheesy, insubstantial catchphrase. It’s how Coach Brown captains his ship. It’s the yardstick he measures his players and assistants by. You ought to adopt those values if you’re representing the Orange. But Fran Brown didn’t just coin this cultural-setting maxim out of thin air. If you’re aware of his past and the adversity he was brought up among, it’s easy to correlate. As well as understand why he’s had the success he’s had.
For the uninitiated, Fran Brown’s arrival at Cuse indeed has been a resounding success. In year 1, he’s taken a 6-7 program to 10-3. He has instilled a winning culture off the bat, which he cultivated and honed from his time at Georgia under Kirby Smart. But Coach Brown wasn’t always projecting this sheen and halo around him. He comes from the mud and filth that’s, very unfortunately, omnipresent in the underbelly of African American neighborhoods. As clichéd as it sounds, Fran Brown is the protagonist of a ‘rags-to-riches’ story.
Coach Brown is a proud native of Camden, New Jersey. Proud not because of how eminent the place is. But because he represents a beacon of hope for its residents. Fran Brown’s childhood was one of turmoil and hardships. Which he vocalized in a conversation with the legendary LaVar Arrington. Yet, Coach Brown isn’t exactly wearing a chip on his shoulder. Despite what he dealt with, he considers himself “blessed” and “lucky”. Because he had athletic talent and the acumen to chase a better life for himself. Unlike some of his peers, who succumbed to Camden and its issues. Fran Brown delved into all of this and more on “The Good in the Game” podcast with Penn State alum and St1x C1ty pioneer Arrington.
“It was tough just because I had a single-parent mom. My mom had me at 13 years old,” remarked Fran Brown. “By the time she was 21, [she’d had] four boys. So there was a lot of moving in the city, right? At one point, I lived on the hilltop…I lived on the actual set. So you might hear all types of gunshots at night, different things going on. You go outside, they’re hustling right in front of my crib. I grew up in the hood!” he added. To go from this sort of environment to being the head coach of a premier college program, making millions, is commendable. But Fran Brown doesn’t glorify the fact that he comes from a rough background. He’s got the perspective of those who had it even rougher.
“I’m from the hood, but I had the same struggles everybody else had. My struggles were no harder than anyone else’s,” said Fran Brown. He spoke about playing Little League and how football helped him escape these struggles before they overcame him. “There are so many friends, my homies, like, ‘Damn. He got killed.’ and ‘He got killed out in Centerville” or out East. But then you’ve got dudes trying to get money. Then, you realize what lane you’re trying to be in. Because if you cross this lane, there ain’t no coming back,” resounded Fran Brown. This sort of background helped Brown be relatable to players who come from similar circumstances. Meaning, in a morbidly twisted way, it helped forge him into the great coach he is today.
Fran Brown explains why the dynamics of player-coach relationships are vital to Syracuse
Anybody privy to Fran Brown’s coaching style knows he’s a good mesh of strict yet amiable. “What’s that relationship like with your players? I could tell right now, just the way you are, they don’t just talk to you on a football level. They talk to you on [a deeper level]. How do you balance being the homie with being the coach?” asked LaVar Arrington of Coach Brown. Who elaborated on how communication and showing vulnerability is a two-way street.
“Making sure they understand and know, ‘I know how you feel.’ I’m sharing stories with them…I’m telling exactly what went wrong, exactly what happened, exactly why I was doing something. And why would you talk to them and tell them all that? So they won’t make that same mistake. So they feel comfortable enough to come and talk,” he said.“They sit there and it’s like, ‘Oh snap. This is who coach really is.” Fran Brown also spoke about how players of different racial backgrounds and different demographics are all hardened in different ways under his wing.
“I got some Caucasian kids who came from similarities that I came from also. Then there are some that didn’t come from that. I got a lot of two-parent kids, and their parents know, ‘Hey Fran, he needs that tough love,’” he said. Being in New York state, Syracuse is more prone to multi-cultural players. So this approach becomes even more important. Fran Brown in a very magnetic personality. It’s understandable why he’s been as potent as he’s been on the recruiting trail. Under his custodianship, Syracuse really does seem to be headed skywards. It’ll be intriguing to see how this program develops going forward. As well as how Coach Brown fares in 2025 after setting the bar really high in his first-ever season as head coach.
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