CLAIM TO FAME: A 1983 graduate of Hernando High, where he was a three-sport letterman, Brown became an All-American at the University of Miami and an All-Pro with the Philadelphia Eagles. The 6-foot-3, 295-pounder played from 1987-91 on a defensive line with Reggie White that was considered among the best.
Brown never forgot his Brooksville roots. With his first pro paycheck, he bought his parents a house. He also started the Jerome Brown Football Clinic, bringing NFL players and coaches to town for a weekend with youth players. On several other occasions, he organized charity fundraisers to help friends in need. His legacy lives on in Brooksville with the Jerome Brown Community Center, a facility that opened in 2000 and is a popular recreational outlet for area youth.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Recently, Jerome Brown Community Center manager JoAnn Munford had her own black history discussion with young children, asking them to name significant African-Americans.
"They named a couple of people, I said, "It doesn't have to be somebody you read about at school, it can be somebody in your hometown.' Someone said, "Oh, Jerome Brown!'
"So I started asking the kids, they weren't even born when he passed away, and everybody gave me something about Jerome. One child said he was a football player down at Miami ... they went off. It was just amazing what they knew."
DID YOU KNOW?: Brown's 1991 No. 99 Eagles jersey is one of the more popular among "throwback" jersey fans nationally.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: Brown died June 25, 1992, in Brooksville when his 1991 Corvette ZR-1 hit a pothole and careened off the road into a tree. He was traveling above the posted 30 mph speed limit; Brown's 12-year-old nephew also died in the one-car crash.
WORDS TO LIVE BY: "You never can tell when you might need help. People say "Jerome, you've got money,' but money ain't everything. You might need support behind you or just someone to say a prayer for you." - Brown in 1989 at a benefit softball game he organized for a friend with cancer.
