Syracuse Orange head coach Fran Brown knows what hustle and bustle is. There was a time when Temple, Rutgers, and Syracuse did not want to recruit him as the head coach. However, he stood steadfast in this process, and never gave up. He began his career with his first stint at Temple in 2011 as the assistant director of internal operations. Later on in 2014, Rivals named Brown one of the top recruiters in the American Athletic Conference. The now Syracuse head coach was the one who developed players like Julian Taylor, Sharif Finch, Jacob Martin, among others. Not many know that before taking up coaching roles, Brown was a three-time All-Conference quarterback at his hometown Camden High School. Now, fans are inquisitive about who has been the force that propelled Brown to chase success. That’s none other than his mom, Marla Brown-Johnson. 

Who are Fran Brown’s parents?

Brown was born on February 3, 1982, in Camden, New Jersey, to Marla. The now Syracuse head coach’s mother was just 13 years old then. While growing up, Brown’s father was absent throughout. So, he now makes it a point to know about the players he recruits and their relationship with their kids. In an interview, the head coach once shared, “I don’t really have a recruiting pitch. I just ask recruits ‘Do you want to be successful? Do you want to become a man? Do you want to be a good father? Do you want to be a good husband?’ When you’re asking those questions, then it becomes authentic. I’m building genuine relationships.” 

Maybe, that’s a bond Brown dearly missed while growing up, even though his mother never allowed to make him to feel his father’s absence. But Marla, too, had too many responsibilities. By the time Brown’s mother turned 21, she had given birth to two to three sons. Not much information is available on Marla’s profession.

What is Fran Brown’s Family Background? 

Brown did not have a smooth childhood, unlike his peers. He was not lucky enough to have a father, under whose safe shadow, the family would have survived. So, all the breadwinning duties fell on Brown’s mother, who had to cater to her four sons. But his mom ensured that Brown chased his career dreams. Born to a single, teenage mother, Brown grew up navigating an impoverished city with a crime problem. The Syracuse head coach thus pursued this stream of studies and holds a degree in criminal justice from Western Carolina. However, growing up on the streets of Camden, football has reigned in his heart forever. 

As Brown recalled his experience, “I said, ‘How am I going to forget about me?’ I can’t forget about me. I was one [a diamond in the rough]. I was the guy that went to school, didn’t have all the stuff everybody else had.” Brown’s father wasn’t in the picture; he got the back of his uncle, Charles Brown, whom he called as a “hero.” And his advice Brown still carries till today. As Syracuse recalled, “I had an uncle, Charles Brown, he told me, ‘Don’t ever, ever, ever allow your situations to dictate your outcome. You make the best of it. You dominate, you get up, and you walk every single day with the next foot forward.’ And I’ve always busted my b**t.”

What ethnicity are Fran Brown’s parents?  

He speaks openly about growing up in Camden, New Jersey, with a single Black mother. So, Brown is African American. Fran Brown realized his mom was sick on a trip home from college in the early 2000s. That’s when he realized that Marla had started to lose his hair. Later, it was diagnosed that Brown’s mother was suffering from kidney failure and congestive heart failure. Later on in 2014, her left leg had to be amputated. Later on, she lost the battle and passed away on January 16, 2016, at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia at age 48. Brown may no longer have the chance to make his mother proud in person, but you can bet she’s beaming from above.