Tag Archive for: #jasonbrown

SportsTalk: Jason Brown To Be Inducted In NC Sports Hall Of Fame

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There are a lot of analogies that can be made between football and farming. Just ask Jason Brown.

Football players prepare, stay in shape and recover from injuries in the off-season, for example. At Brown’s First Fruits Farm in Franklin County, the off-season also is a time to prepare. But Brown’s focus is on making sure the farm equipment is in good repair for upcoming planting and harvesting.

Brown, a standout center at UNC-CH, got his start at Northern Vance High School. And although it was football that took him to a career in the NFL, the ever-humble Brown said he relied then – and continues to rely on – “a lot of hope, faith and prayer.”

The pro football player-turned farmer is one of 15 inductees in the Class of 2023 North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. John C. Rose caught up with him this week for a few minutes to talk about the honor.

Asked about favorite memories he carries with him from his playing days, Brown said it’s “the team aspect that really rises to the top. I’ve been fortunate to be on some very good teams,” he said. “When you’re (playing the game) with your brothers, it definitely makes it a lot more meaningful.”

His big brother, Lunsford, graduated from Northern Vance High School too. But his life was cut short in service to his country in September 2003, Brown said. “I drew a lot of inspiration from my brother,” he explained. He wore Lunsford’s dogtags, pointed and jagged on one side from shrapnel, under his uniform. “After I put on my tight shoulder pads and tight jersey, I could literally feel” against his chest a reminder of his brother.

And he vowed to never quit, never complain, Brown said. “I just wanted to honor and serve my older brother. I knew he cared about my football career…about my success.”

These days, there’s not much time to reflect on bygone days of bowl games and personal honors. Brown gets up early, puts in a full day at the farm and tends to follow the sun. When it goes down, so does he.

But the lessons he learned during his football days definitely affect how he looks at life.

Diverse players came together to work as a single unit to get a job done. “It was a melting pot. Those guys were my brothers, no matter what they looked like. There was a shared common cause that brought us together,” he said.

He longs for the day when neighbors can do the same thing – set aside petty disagreements and treat each other with mutual love and respect.

“If we can do that, we can take on anything,” he said.

Learn more about the April 21 induction ceremony at  www.ncshof.org

 

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Town Talk: First Fruits Farms Balloon Festival

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Jason Brown’s faith has led him to do some interesting things since he retired from his NFL football career and he and his family have used their farm in Franklin County to do everything from growing and giving away produce to transforming an old dairy barn into a wedding venue.

And on Memorial Day weekend, visitors will have a chance to cast their eyes to the skies for the second annual Memorial Balloon Festival at First Fruits Farm.

The Vance County native said there could be as many as 35,000 to 40,000 people in attendance during the four-day event, which kicks off on Friday, May 27 and ends on May 30. He spoke with John C. Rose on Tuesday’s Town Talk about what’s in store at the farm, located at 2805 E. River Rd. in Louisburg.

The festival is a way to honor veterans and those who served in the military, and Brown said the event has special meaning for him. His brother, Lunsford, was killed while deployed to Iraq in 2003. And again this year, Brown said there will be a Gold Star reception for families like his who have lost a loved one. More than 100 Gold Star families attended last year’s event. “There is comfort and strength” for the families to be together, “to share love and their experience with one another,” Brown said.

Visit https://ncmemorialballoonfest.com/the-venue/ to purchase tickets and see a complete schedule of events for the weekend festival. There will be fireworks displays, balloon rides and tethered balloon rides and family fun for everyone.

“It’s an opportunity to bring the community together at a time when there’s so much divisiveness,” he said. The festival will provide a time for fellowship, as well as food and some good entertainment. Brown said some folks spend more than one day at the festival so they can take their time and soak in all the activities and performances.

Brown said God pointed him to farming and agriculture, something he said his time on the football field didn’t exactly prepare him for. “As long as there’s faith – that’s what’s most important.”

It’s a long way – literally and figuratively – from the football fields of the NFL to the sweet potato fields of Franklin County, but Brown said God continued to order his steps to make his dream a reality.

That reality has become a hybrid of sorts – growing produce that he gives away with the help of hundreds of volunteers each season. He said “some of the most awesome people give up a Saturday morning” to dig, collect and distribute the hundreds of thousands of pounds of sweet potatoes that provide a healthy food to those in need. “They truly are the salt of the earth,” he added.

Volunteers are vital during harvest time, and Brown said there’s room for additional volunteers to help at the balloon festival, too. Visit the webpage to learn how to register, but Brown said in exchange for four hours of service, volunteers will get free admission and parking to the festival. And a cool t-shirt.

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