James Brown Balances Love of Sports With Education, Family

James T. Brown '73 is no hypocrite. Like most people with jobs in sports, he says athletics is not the most important thing in the world, but unlike many of them, he has lived a life that shows it.

Most fans know Brown as a knowledgeable and smooth studio host whose professionalism and talent have helped make Fox Sports into a broadcasting powerhouse. And, in fact, sports have always held a position of importance for Brown, making him famous and successful. But he keeps it all in perspective.

"I'm a part of the industry, so I'm obviously pleased that [sports] have a place of prominence," Brown says. "But far too many people see it as dominant, and they see it as a way of climbing the socioeconomic ladder. So it does, for some people, have an inordinate emphasis."

Brown does not just talk the talk, however. That his 25th reunion is at Harvard shows that Brown has walked the walk as well.

Brown was heavily recruited as a basketball player coming out of DeMatha Catholic High School, a school near Washington D.C. that is legendary for its hoops history. A high school All-American, Brown decided to attend Harvard, shunning full-ride scholarships at college juggernauts such as the University of North Carolina and UCLA, which was riding high on a tide of nine NCAA championships in 10 years under the legendary coach John Wooden.

"I did not know exactly what I wanted to do," Brown says. "I thought I would be a lawyer after a lengthy and full NBA career, which I thought would materialize."

That NBA career did not come about in the end, and although his athletic career may have suffered as a result of attending Harvard, Brown says he does not regret the decision at all.

"[U. S. Senator] Bill Bradley of Princeton was a role model for me because he embodied athletic and academic excellence," Brown says. "I was hoping that I could duplicate what he did. I guess the biggest thing I can say in favor of it is that I would do it again."

Brown, a three-time, second team All-Ivy pick, enjoyed one of the best basketball careers in Harvard history and engraved his name in several Crimson record books. He scored 1,242 career points, ninth in Harvard's history, and his single-game scoring high of 36 is also ninth. He holds the school record for most field goals scored in a single game--18. And he finished fourth in career rebounding with 747 (9.7 per game). His single-season average of 12.2 boards per contest stands third all-time.

After his senior year, Brown received his dream, a shot at playing in the NBA.

"I was drafted in the fourth round by the Atlanta Hawks, back 100 years ago when they had 12 rounds in the draft [there are now two]," Brown recalls. "I was one of the last rookies cut, and I thought I would be on the team, so I couldn't believe it. I cried and hid in the house for two weeks."

Then Brown looked in the mirror, and what he saw changed his approach to life.

"I realized I had lost my determination," he says. "After I worked so hard to become a high school All-American, I didn't work as hard to improve at Harvard. I vowed never again to let a lack of effort stop me from achieving something."

After working at Xerox for several years post-graduation with a degree in government, Brown was pretty sure he would become a division president or president of a company and maybe attend business school.

"The media bug bit me in my sixth year of working at Xerox," Brown says. "I had no idea of moving into it. It shows the value of Harvard training--it's a good dictionary education and I have no complaints. My life has been very fulfilling thus far."

The weekend Brown was interviewed by The Crimson was a good example of what life is like for the Fox star. Brown flew from his home in Maryland to the studios in Los Angeles on Saturday. Sunday, he hosted Game One of the Stanley Cup Western Conference finals, a 2-0 victory for the Detroit Red Wings over the Dallas Stars. Later that afternoon, Brown was on a plane back home.

"There is a challenge associated with most jobs, and for mine, it's travel," Brown says. "Family is very important to me, and I have a 17-year-old daughter and a mother who's a widow. I could get a home in Los Angeles [the home of Fox Sports], but I have roots back East. The job is so rewarding and stimulating that it's worth it."

Brown's love of his profession has translated into a career recognized by others in the industry as superb. In 1995, the Quarterback Club of Washington named Brown its Sportscaster of the Year. His most visible role is as a co-host of "NHL on Fox" and the Emmy Award-winning "Fox NFL Sunday," the most-watched football pre-game show.

Without a doubt, Brown has a full plate. In addition to his sports duties, he hosts "World's Funniest" on Fox. He also has a nationally syndicated radio show, "Coast to Coast with James Brown." Brown appears on "Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel" and "America's Black Forum," discussing non-sports topics. He also produced a business leadership series with RTN, a company that works with executives examining management issues.

Brown began his media career on local television in Washington, D.C. He worked Washington Bullets games and hosted several other area shows from 1978 to 1983. Then he moved on to anchoring in 1984, making a break-through onto the national stage with CBS Sports.

Besides working NFL games at CBS, Brown hosted 11 NCAA championships, the Winter Olympics, the NBA championships and the Tour de France. He also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with the Special Olympics in the Emmy-winning program "Let Me Be Brave: A Special Climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro." Four years ago, when Fox won NFL broadcasting rights by outbidding CBS, Brown faced a tough decision. Then Fox came calling.

"I love working with Fox," Brown says. "Everything happens for a reason. CBS lost a lot of its inventory by losing the NBA and NFL, and my schedule was radically affected. I was considering local TV, but things worked out well. I think we're a part of TV history and are pushing the envelope with our aggressive coverage."

"Everybody tries to have fun, and we have injected a tone of levity," he adds. "We really enjoy it, and others are trying to copy us. Our motto is to give the viewer an education pill with Kool-Aid."

No one is more qualified to give the sports fan that education pill than Brown. After all, balancing sports and education has always been Brown's specialty.