Jim Brown, Sr. in his sophomore season at the University of Michigan during the fall of 1941. (Photograph courtesy of the Brown family) Jim Brown, Sr. was more than an outstanding athlete at LaSalle High School (LHS). Mr. Brown was one of the biggest Saints fans. Behind the scenes, he worked hard to improve the quality of athletic programs at the school.

Mr. Brown, a St. Ignace resident, died September 1, 2008, at the age of 87. In October, he will be posthumously inducted into the LaSalle High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Mr. Brown played four years of football and basketball for the Saints and was on the independent baseball team in the area before his graduation from LHS in 1940.

He then enrolled at the University of Michigan. Freshmen were not allowed to play college football, but were still part of the Wolverines program and were used on the scout team against the varsity. Seniors on the Michigan team in the fall of 1940 were Wolverine greats Tom Harmon and Forest Evashevski. The team was coached by Fritz Crysler.

The St. Ignace Saints 1939-40 basketball team completed the season with a 10-5 overall record. The team includes (front, from left) Norbert Coveyou, Walter Elmherst, Jim Brown, Sr., Charlie Shedewin, Hugh English; (back) Dell Ahlich, Bob Morin, Drayton LaChapelle, and Coach Paul Koski. Mr. Brown played halfback/ quarterback for the Wolverines in his sophomore season (1941) before spending the next two years in the U.S. Navy. He was graduated from the University of Michigan in 1946, but didn't play football in his final two years.

Mr. Brown and his wife, Dorothy, known as “Sis,” have 11 children, Ruth, Barbara, Jane, Susan, Sally, Caroline, Prentiss or “Giz,” Jim Jr., Bob, Paul, and Andy, who all were graduated from LaSalle High School.

Mr. Brown served more than 35 years on the St. Ignace school board as president. During that time, he was instrumental in placing the first lights at Saints Field in the early 1950s, along with his brother, Prentiss “Moie” Brown, Jack Ryerse, and Mel LaChapelle.

In the late 1960s, the football field needed a new surface, and Mr. Brown and some others stepped in.

"We borrowed the sod cutter from the St. Ignace golf course and cut sections of sod, one to two feet wide," said Giz Brown. "After all the sod was cut, new sand and black dirt was placed and the sod was replaced, giving St. Ignace one of the best fields in the area."

The James Brown Scholar- Athlete Award was established at LaSalle during the 1980-81 school year. Each year, one male and one female athlete receive this award in Mr. Brown’s name.

Mr. Brown was a tough and fierce competitor on the football gridiron, basketball hardwood, baseball diamond, and golf links, but just as much, his heart was dedicated to the St. Ignace Saints sports program.