# Mario Brown > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mario_Brown > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mario_Brown.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Brown > Source revision: 1259159912 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American basketball player}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}} '''Mario Brown''' ({{Circa|1951}} – October 5, 2002), known as "Bro' Rap", was the first African-American men's basketball player at [Texas A&M University](/source/Texas_A%26M_University). ==Early life and education== Mario Brown attended [Parker High School](/source/Paul_Robeson_High_School_(Chicago)) in [Chicago, Illinois](/source/Chicago%2C_Illinois). As a senior, Brown was named the most valuable player of the school's basketball team and earned all-district honors. He was also president of the school's student council and played on the baseball team. After graduating from high school, Brown played basketball for two years for [Kennedy–King College](/source/Kennedy%E2%80%93King_College) in Chicago. ==Texas A&M University== Brown was recruited by Texas A&M coach [Shelby Metcalf](/source/Shelby_Metcalf), who travelled to [Chicago, Illinois](/source/Chicago%2C_Illinois) to personally ask Brown to attend the school. Brown played for two seasons at A&M, starting in 51 games and averaging 14 points and 4.3 assists per game. In his first season, 1971–1972, Brown earned second team All-[Southwest Conference](/source/Southwest_Conference) honors, leading A&M with a 16.9 scoring average in conference play and helping the team to a 16–10 record. The following year, his senior year, Brown was selected as team co-captain, and averaged 13.4 points and 4 assists per game as the Aggies ranked second in the Southwest Conference and finished with a 17–9 record.{{cite web|title=First African American to play basketball at A&M dies of cancer |publisher=Bryan-College Station Eagle |date=October 10, 2002 |url=http://www.theeagle.com/aandmnews/101002basketball.htm |accessdate=February 19, 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230231449/http://www.theeagle.com/aandmnews/101002basketball.htm |archivedate=December 30, 2006 |url-status=dead }} Brown was a very fast player with a great crossover dribble. ==Later years== Brown died of lung cancer one month after his diagnosis in 2002. {{cite web | last = Murray | first = Troy | title = Illini track star Nick Brown perseveres amid tragedies | publisher = DailyIllini.com | date = December 5, 2006 | url = http://media.www.dailyillini.com/media/storage/paper736/news/2006/12/05/Sports/Illini.Track.Star.Nick.Brown.Perseveres.Amid.Tragedies-2522019.shtml | accessdate = February 19, 2007 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927214242/http://media.www.dailyillini.com/media/storage/paper736/news/2006/12/05/Sports/Illini.Track.Star.Nick.Brown.Perseveres.Amid.Tragedies-2522019.shtml | archivedate = September 27, 2007 }} He was survived by his wife, Myrtle, and several children, including Nick Brown, a USA Junior National Champion in track and field who had much success in track and field at the [University of Illinois](/source/University_of_Illinois_at_Urbana-Champaign), and [Sergio Brown](/source/Sergio_Brown), a football safety who played in the NFL with four teams, including the [New England Patriots](/source/New_England_Patriots).{{cite web |url=https://www.indianapolismonthly.com/arts-and-culture/sports/underdog-story-colts-sergio-brown-makes-most-nfl-opportunity |title=Underdog Story: Colts Safety Sergio Brown Makes Most of Opportunity |first=Alec |last=Johnson |work=[Indianapolis Monthly](/source/Indianapolis_Monthly) |date=November 14, 2014 |accessdate=April 3, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112013618/https://www.indianapolismonthly.com/arts-and-culture/sports/underdog-story-colts-sergio-brown-makes-most-nfl-opportunity |archive-date=November 12, 2020}}{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | title = Sergio Brown Biography | publisher = New England Patriots | date = September 10, 2010 | url = http://www.patriots.com/team/index.cfm?ac=playerbio&bio=34194 | accessdate = August 14, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100907012756/http://www.patriots.com/team/index.cfm?ac=playerbio&bio=34194 | archive-date = September 7, 2010 | url-status = dead }} And Son Mario Brown Jr. He leaves behind his grandchildren Aszja Brown, Avanti Brown, and Mario Brown III ==References== {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Mario}} Category:2002 deaths Category:Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball players Category:Deaths from lung cancer in the United States Category:1950s births Category:American men's basketball players Category:20th-century American sportsmen --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mario Brown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Brown) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Brown?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.