Brian "Rusty" Brown
Dean McGee and Royce Waltman were both coaching legends in their own right, both members of the Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame, and both agreed on one thing: Rusty Brown was near or at the top of the list of the best all-around athletes that they had ever coached.
In 1979, Rusty led the Bison football team to its first undefeated season since World War II. That team was inducted into the Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame in 2014, and Rusty said that it was one of his proudest moments ever.
As the starting quarterback, Brown led the Bison to an exceptional 16-1-1 record. During his career, he was a two-time Bedford County All-Star quarterback/defensive back; the area's leading scorer in 1979; and all-state honorable mention his senior year.
“Rusty's eye-hand coordination was exceptional, and he had the quickest feet of any kids that I had ever worked with,” said John Topper, an assistant football coach at Bedford under McGee in the 1960s through the early 1980s.
“For all of his accomplishments and accolades for being our 'go-to guy' on offense as an option quarterback, I think that his overall play on the defensive side of the ball is what impressed me the most. Not only was he a great ball hawk as a safety, but when we would move him into the monster back position, running backs couldn't get outside of him.
“In over two decades of working with the Bedford football program, Rusty was the best that I had even seen.”
Topper remembers how coachable Brown was as well.
“He would play whatever defensive position that Coach McGee put him on any given week, and he would never question the decision,” Topper added. “Rusty was a team player all the way. A lot of guys with his talent can become prima donnas, but that wasn't his nature.”
After football season, Brown headed to coach Waltman's basketball court. As the point guard, Brown led the Bison to a 51-4 record. Brown was the quiet lead of the squad that Waltman considered his finest high school team in 1980. Brown was an all-state honorable mention that season as well.
When the springtime came around, Brown traded in his sneakers for baseball spikes. He set the school record
for stolen bases and led the team in hitting. He was a two-time Bedford County League All-Star in baseball. Naturally, many colleges and universities expressed great interest in Brown, but when the final decision was made, Rusty picked Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia. While there, he acquired his B.S. in marketing and management and physical education in 1984.
The talented athlete decided to concentrate on baseball in college, and he was an All-Conference outfielder in 1983 and 1984. He led the team in batting average for three years and hit for a career average of .465. With all that notoriety, he was selected as the Athlete of the Year for Davis & Elkins in 1984.
While attending college, he also played baseball in the summer for the Coca-Cola team in the Johnstown AAABA League. In 1981, Brown helped Coca-Cola win the league championship and was the host team for the national AAABA Tournament in Johnstown.
Today, Rusty Brown is a successful businessman living in Chesterfield, Virginia, and a father, who is proud to have coached his daughter in baseball as well as his son and daughter in Association basketball.
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Dean McGee and Royce Waltman were both coaching legends in their own right, both members of the Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame, and both agreed on one thing: Rusty Brown was near or at the top of the list of the best all-around athletes that they had ever coached.
In 1979, Rusty led the Bison football team to its first undefeated season since World War II. That team was inducted into the Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame in 2014, and Rusty said that it was one of his proudest moments ever.
As the starting quarterback, Brown led the Bison to an exceptional 16-1-1 record. During his career, he was a two-time Bedford County All-Star quarterback/defensive back; the area's leading scorer in 1979; and all-state honorable mention his senior year.
“Rusty's eye-hand coordination was exceptional, and he had the quickest feet of any kids that I had ever worked with,” said John Topper, an assistant football coach at Bedford under McGee in the 1960s through the early 1980s.
“For all of his accomplishments and accolades for being our 'go-to guy' on offense as an option quarterback, I think that his overall play on the defensive side of the ball is what impressed me the most. Not only was he a great ball hawk as a safety, but when we would move him into the monster back position, running backs couldn't get outside of him.
“In over two decades of working with the Bedford football program, Rusty was the best that I had even seen.”
Topper remembers how coachable Brown was as well.
“He would play whatever defensive position that Coach McGee put him on any given week, and he would never question the decision,” Topper added. “Rusty was a team player all the way. A lot of guys with his talent can become prima donnas, but that wasn't his nature.”
After football season, Brown headed to coach Waltman's basketball court. As the point guard, Brown led the Bison to a 51-4 record. Brown was the quiet lead of the squad that Waltman considered his finest high school team in 1980. Brown was an all-state honorable mention that season as well.
When the springtime came around, Brown traded in his sneakers for baseball spikes. He set the school record
for stolen bases and led the team in hitting. He was a two-time Bedford County League All-Star in baseball. Naturally, many colleges and universities expressed great interest in Brown, but when the final decision was made, Rusty picked Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia. While there, he acquired his B.S. in marketing and management and physical education in 1984.
The talented athlete decided to concentrate on baseball in college, and he was an All-Conference outfielder in 1983 and 1984. He led the team in batting average for three years and hit for a career average of .465. With all that notoriety, he was selected as the Athlete of the Year for Davis & Elkins in 1984.
While attending college, he also played baseball in the summer for the Coca-Cola team in the Johnstown AAABA League. In 1981, Brown helped Coca-Cola win the league championship and was the host team for the national AAABA Tournament in Johnstown.
Today, Rusty Brown is a successful businessman living in Chesterfield, Virginia, and a father, who is proud to have coached his daughter in baseball as well as his son and daughter in Association basketball.
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Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame
Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Class of 2015
Bedford County Sports
Hall of Fame
Class of 2015