Hall of Fame
Back To Hall of Fame
Back To Hall of Fame
Guard
All-American, UPI
All-Coast, All-League, All-Northern California
Two-time WCAC All-Star
USF Career Years: 1955-1958
Birthdate: November 13, 1935
Hometown: San Francisco
High School: George Washington High School
Eugene Brown was born on November 13, 1935 in San Francisco and attended George Washington High School, where he was a three-time All-City Player as a forward. At 6’ 3”, 175 lbs., he played guard for the Dons, averaging 4-5 steals per game, and in his last two games of regular season play, intercepted 14 passes. Brown was fast and quick, a tremendous jumper, could easily dunk the ball, and was famous for his fade-away jump shot. He was an excellent dribbler and rebounder. He moved into varsity after playing his freshman year with Assistant Coach Ross Guidice’s USF freshman team. With K.C. Jones on the starting line-up, Head Coach Phil Woolpert used him sparingly until the post-season play in the Western Regionals, when Jones was declared ineligible. Brown scored 23 points in their winning tournament opener (72-61) against rival UCLA. Three wins later, the Dons had their second consecutive NCAA Championship in hand, and Brown was an All-Tournament selection.
The next two years were known as “The Brown Era” as he led the team in scoring his junior and senior years, despite sustaining a broken hand at the beginning of the 1956-1957 season. In his second year on Varsity, he averaged 15.1 PPG and powered the Dons to the Final Four and to the eventual NCAA championship. Brown made the All-Tournament Team at both the NCAA Western Regional Playoffs and the Final Four. As a senior in 1957-1958, he led in season scoring at 14.2 PPG as USF finished their season at 25-2. He was named a Third Team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and received an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press.
“First of all, he was a great, great teammate,” said fellow Hall of Fame member Mike Farmer. “I’d go to war with Gene anytime. He was a helluva player, but he was also a tremendous friend. I put him up there with K.C. Jones and Hal Perry as the top two guys who were the best teammates on that 1956 team. Not many remember that he took Jones’ spot in the starting line-up in the NCAA Tournament and he was tremendous. The two years after were a lot of tun and really special to me because Gene and I were the only two starters back from the 1956 team and we made it all the way back to the Final Four the next season (USF Athletics).”
He was drafted by the Boston Celtics in Round 5 (39th pick overall) of the 1958 NBA draft and played only briefly as a rookie. Following his professional ball career, he played for the Buchan Bakers and the San Francisco Saints in the National Industrial League (NIL).
Brown devoted over 40 years to public service as a Recreation Director, and as a police officer. In 1978, San Francisco Mayor George Moscone appointed him the first African-American Sheriff, and he served for one year. He also worked in the Department of Justice and was a Civil Rights Director in the Small Business Administration. In 2001, he retired from the San Francisco City and County Youth Guidance Center after 14 years.
Back To Hall of Fame
