For a person who has risen to the pinnacle of professional and athletic success, Darryl Brown has never forgotten his

roots. Before he rose to become executive vice president and general manager of the ABC Radio Network; before his two year

professional basketball stint in Europe; before he starred for Fordham University; even before he had graduated from Nanuet

with a fistful of records in basketball and track, Darryl stood on the shoulders of those who supported him, nurtured him and

motivated him from his formative years onward.

Darryl’s parents, Margaret and Thomas, and sister, Maureen, were there for him every step of the way. Friendships

forged as a youth with classmates like Marc Panken, Jim Pietropaolo, Matt Gilligan and Don McKernan have only deepened in

subsequent years. And the love and support of Jean Ann, his wife of seven years, has been invaluable.

"When I think back to that time, the records are a distant memory. The life experience is what counts," says Darryl,

who is 49 and has lived and worked in Dallas for the past seven years. "The human element adds texture. High school is so

important in any individual’s life. It lays the groundwork for what kind of individual you will be, and sports was a big part of

that. I look back to that time with very fond memories."

How could the memories be anything but fond? Darryl was a dominant performer on winning teams in two sports. In

basketball, as a 6-foot-7 low-post center, he scored 1,188 career points—then a Rockland County record—and led the Golden

Knights to the 1971 Section 9 Class B championship. He was a two-time, first-team All-County selection, a New York Daily

News first-team All-Star, and Rockland co-MVP his senior year (with Clarkstown’s Bob Mathias).

Darryl was the axis around which a strong supporting cast revolved: forward Bob Carpenter; high-post pivotman Bob

Hinds; point guard Kevin Krause; and shooting guard Andy Lover. "It was one of the most well-balanced teams I ever played

on," he says. "We meshed well together; everyone got the most out of their talents."

Playing for a small school in the days before athletic realignment also served a valuable purpose, says Darryl, who

earned Black and Gold and Jerry Leo scholarship awards. "Being a small school playing against bigger schools, it taught us

what competition and rising to the occasion is all about."

The same ethic applied in track, where Nanuet competed against schools with much larger enrollments. But the Knights

succeeded thanks to expert coaching—"I had the benefit of two fantastic coaches" (Dave Hanson in track and Jerry Bonomolo

in basketball)—and talented athletes such as Darryl.

In spring track, Darryl set Rockland County records in both the high jump (6-feet-4) and triple jump (46-2). In the

County meet, he won the triple jump three straight years and the high jump twice, and in the Section 9 Class B meet, he

swept the triple and high jumps his junior and senior years. He also competed in winter track meets his senior year while

playing varsity basketball.

At Fordham, Darryl graduated as the school’s ninth-leading all-time scorer with 1,233 points and was among the

school’s career rebounding leaders as well. In his senior year, he was MVP of the ECAC Holiday Festival while leading the

Rams to the tournament title, including an upset victory over No. 5-ranked USC in the championship game. Darryl is a

member of both the Fordham Hall of Fame and the Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame.

After graduating from Fordham in 1975 with a degree in broadcast journalism, Darryl was drafted by the Boston Celtics

in the fourth round of the NBA draft and advanced through rookie and training camp. One of his career highlights, he says,

was working out with the Celtics and NBA Hall of Famer Bob Cousy, who was past his playing days but could still lead a fast

break that was "a thing of beauty."

When he was cut by the Celtics, Darryl went to professional leagues in Italy and Sweden to learn how to play like a

guard, facing the basket, rather than his accustomed back-to-the-basket position. He then returned to the Celtics for training

camp in 1976, but was released two days before the season started.

Darryl spent one more year playing professional ball in Sweden before returning stateside and obtaining a graduate

degree from Fordham in communications management in 1978. (He was an assistant basketball coach for the Rams that year

as well.) He then embarked on a career in broadcast journalism that has reached the highest echelon of his profession. Darryl

credits his English teacher at Nanuet, Catherine Walber, with encouraging him to express his creative talents through writing

and starting him on a rewarding career path.

Darryl spent the first 17 years of his career with ABC in New York before transferring to Dallas. Darryl

and Jean Ann have a 1-year-old son, also named Darryl. Darryl also has a 25-year-old daughter, Sarah, a

student at Hunter College in New York.