|
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 15, 2001 EDINBURG, TX-The University of Texas-Pan American
assistant baseball coach Mike Brown has resigned. Brown will become a
pharmaceutical salesman, working for Wyeth-Ayerst in the Rio Grande
Valley. Brown, a Bronc assistant coach for seven years,
played third base for UTPA in 1984 and 1985. He helped lead the Broncs
to a pair of winning seasons, including the 1985 season when UTPA went
39-20 and just missed advancing to the NCAA Tournament. He hit three
home runs in one game, had seven runs batted on another occasion, and
his total of six triples in 1985 is the third best in UTPA history. Brown played professionally in the Houston Astros’
organization after graduating from UTPA, then was a coach and minor
league manager in the Cleveland Indians’ system for seven seasons. He
was named South Atlantic League Manager of the Year and Best Major
League Managerial Prospect in the South Atlantic League in 1992, while
leading Columbus, GA to the playoffs. Returning to the Rio Grande Valley, Brown became an
assistant coach at UTPA in 1994. He served as a graduate assistant coach
under Head Coach Al Ogletree and current Head Coach Reggie Tredaway, who
was then Ogletree’s assistant, before being hired on a full-time basis
when Tredaway moved up to the head coach’s position. Instrumental in
helping the Broncs attract good student-athletes, Brown helped lead UTPA
to several successful seasons. Prior to last year’s rebuilding season,
the Broncs won 30 games twice in succession and were under consideration
for an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. Brown received his bachelor’s degree in
Kinesiology and his master’s degree in Education from UTPA. He and his
wife, Claudette, were married at home plate before a professional
All-Star Game in Columbus, Georgia. “We’re going to miss him, and, more than anything, the game of baseball is going to miss him, because of his knowledge of the game and how it’s supposed to be played,” said Tredaway. “He has outstanding baseball knowledge, and he’s been like family to all of us. We understand that he needs to go on and make this change, and we wish him well in this and all of his endeavors.” “I’ve been in baseball for 20 years, and over
that time, I’ve only had two employers, the Cleveland Indians and The
University of Texas-Pan American, so it was a very difficult
decision,” said Brown. “This was a situation that I couldn’t pass
up financially, and it was a decision that was made for the benefit of
my family. Baseball has been my life, and this will be a new challenge,
and a new experience that I’m looking forward to.” Brown was thankful for the years he spent at UTPA. “I would like to thank (Head Coach) Reggie Tredaway for giving me the opportunity to coach here,” said Brown. “I’d also like to thank the university for everything that they’ve done for me and my family. I will greatly miss the people involved in the baseball program, the university, and the athletic department. I feel like the team this year is special, with a mixture of older and younger players with exceptional makeup and work habits, that, under the direction of Coach Tredaway, has a bright future. I’ve enjoyed the seven years that I’ve coached at UTPA, and I will always be a part of what’s going on here.” BA-04-02 011502 |