For those that watched Saturday’s Kentucky college basketball contest at Rupp Arena against Vanderbilt that thought they saw a couple of familiar faces in a pair of pretty high-profile seats, well, you thought correctly. The two men situated prominently behind the Wildcats’ bench in the 76-57 win by the home team were former, long-time Bridgeport resident Tom Brown and his son Tommy.

 

As it turns out, the elder Brown – who was last seen in a professional capacity as an administrator in Bridgeport Middle School in 2002 – didn’t fork out a whole lot of coin to a scalper for the seats. Instead, Brown got them the best way humanly possible. He got them for free.

 

For those wondering how on earth Brown could secure seats behind the bench of one of the most storied programs in college basketball history without breaking the bank to do so, it’s simple. He knows someone really important to the UK program.

 

Of course, just knowing someone isn’t enough to get seats to a Kentucky Wildcat game where not only can you taunt or praise anyone you want, but be assured that they hear you. You have to know someone pretty high up on the food chain.

 

And that, of course, is where Brown landed not only his day behind the bench, but a day with locker room passes and VIP status. Brown not only happens to know NCAA championship-winning and Kentucky Coach John Calipari, Brown actually coached him many decades ago.

 

Before getting to Brown’s time to coach arguably one of the most famous coaches in college basketball, let’s rewind on how Brown arrived to the point where he and his son Tommy were invited guests of Calipari. It’s a journey that begins up Interstate 79 and into Pittsburgh.

 

Brown, who is currently living in Clearwater, Florida, with his wife JoAnne, grew up in western Pennsylvania, in a community just outside of Pennsylvania. Brown was a pretty good athlete from his Steel City days. Good enough, in fact, to land a scholarship to play college basketball where he ended up starring at Morris Harvey College (today the University of Charleston) back in the mid-1960s and where he graduated in 1965.

 

After his playing days were over, his academic days continued. He began work on his Master’s Degree at WVU in the latter part of the 1960s in physical education and educational administration.

 

Upon completion of his course work at WVU, Brown had the option to begin his career in Harrison County at either Bridgeport or Bristol. He could coach basketball at Bristol or become an assistant initially at Bridgeport.

 

“I ended up choosing Bridgeport,” said Brown. “At that time, there was myself, Wayne Jamison and Ed Carder and we pretty much coached just about everything.”

 

Everything included multiple assistant roles and even Brown serving as the head track coach. He taught and eventually became the head basketball coach during his time from1967 to 1973 at BHS.

 

While many may think Brown’s entire educational career was spent in Bridgeport, there was an interruption in service. The break would lead him back to his old stomping grounds and eventually into an encounter with Calipari.

 

“I became the assistant principal and athletic director at Bridgeport High School in 1972 and, even before I felt I had to leave, there was always that attraction of going back to Pennsylvania,” said Brown. “The problem was that I still wanted to coach and they wouldn’t allow you to coach and be an assistant principal.”

 

In short order, a basketball coaching job became open at Moon Township in Pennsylvania. And in equally short order Brown was hired to handle those duties.

 

“I was in Pennsylvania from 1973 to 1978,” said Brown.

 

It was very early in that time frame when Tom Brown encountered John Calipari. And Calipari reminded him of someone from Bridgeport almost immediately.

 

“I used to keep the gym open all summer and I think John (Calipari) was like in the eighth grade when I first saw him coming to the gym. He just reminded me so much of a guard everyone in Bridgeport knows by the name of Phil Nicewarner. John was a point guard and boy was he animated; just like Phil,” Brown said with a laugh.

 

Calipari continued to come to the gym. Eventually, he came to the varsity basketball program in what would be Brown’s final year as a coach.

 

“It was, I’m almost certain, his sophomore year and we really needed a point guard because I had a really good two guard,” said Brown. “I started him at the point and that same animation that I saw in the gym just poured right out like Phil used to do.”

 

Brown coached Calipari that final season. He ended up giving up the coaching portion of his job as it was too time consuming, impacting his health and other issues. He still was involved with the sport as a volunteer at Robert Morris.

 

“Eventually, JoAnne and I decided if we got the chance to go back to Bridgeport we would,” said Brown. “In 1978 she began teaching at the old junior high and I was back in Bridgeport too. Eventually, I ended up at Washington Irving (as an assistant principal from 1983 to 1987) and then coming back to Bridgeport again (finishing his career at the junior high, turned middle school before his 2002 retirement).”

 

During those years after coaching Calipari, Brown kept track of his former player’s progression up the coaching ladder. And many years ago the pair hooked back up when Calipari was in Clarksburg serving as the parade marshal of the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival.

 

“I had been in some contact, but when he came down for the festival we really hooked back up. We were at Twin Oaks and Oliverio’s and then played golf with Eddie Aman out at Pete Dye,” said Brown. “From that point forward we’ve really had a good relationship.”

 

For those that don’t think Calipari values his relationship with Brown and that one year they spent together in an official coach-player capacity, all you have to do is listen to Brown talk about what Coach Cal has done – and continues to do – for his granddaughter.

 

Many may know that Tom’s granddaughter Grace – the daughter of Bill and Kim Brown Meek – suffered a situation very similar to what former BHS Coach Bruce Carey suffered, which in layman’s terms is like a stroke of the spinal cord. While Grace Meek has valiantly battled the condition, she’s done it with more than just the support of her family and immediate social circle of friends.

 

Throughout the battle, Brown said Coach Calipari has been more than just a person who has inquired. Brown said he’s helped out beyond belief.

 

“He became a huge supporter of Grace. He’s given us a lot of financial support and still has an ongoing dialogue with Grace, to this day, ever since she’s been ill,” said Brown. “He’ll pick up the phone sometime and just call her and if you can imagine what his schedule is like that certainly means the world to all of us and Grace, who is about to graduate from high school.”

 

Through that connection, Brown and Calipari have remained close; even though the pair have kept in contact during his multiple jumps on the coaching ladder that even included a foray into the NBA. He’s run into him and been his guest when the Wildcats have visited Gainesville for a SEC game with Florida, but Calipari wanted to do him one better.

 

“When we were at Florida he told me if I would come to Rupp he’d take care of us,” said Brown.

 

This past weekend, he did just that. Brown said he and Tommy decided to take the direct flight from Clearwater to Lexington and take Coach Calipari up on his offer.

 

“Wow, did we have a great time. We were right on top of the action and then after the game he spent an hour with Tommy and me,” said Brown. “We talked about the old times and talked even about some bad times and plenty of good times. It was a really enjoyable day for us both and I’m so appreciative that he took the time to spend with us and I’m always appreciative of the time he’s given to Grace.”

 

That’s the thing that most folks will never see about a guy like John Calipari. Right or wrong, he’s been painted a certain way by the media and that’s the way those who don’t know the coach will perceive him. Call it what you want, but it’s a reality that sometimes puts a black hat on a guy like Calipari and a white hat on a coach like Mike Krzyzewski no matter the circumstances – again right or wrong.

 

Tom Brown has his own perspective.

 

“He’s as genuine person whose dad was a steel worker. He’s a quality guy; a regular guy who just happens to be famous for what he does,” said Brown. “He’s a Pittsburgh guy like me. More importantly, even better than being behind the bench for that game, he’s been good to me and my family and in particular to Grace. I can’t say enough good things about him for that alone.”

 

The funny thing is that as excited as most folks would be to see and meet John Calipari, the picture of the two from the recent game show that Calipari looks just as excited to see his old mentor. I know that look. I’ve seen it in the past hundreds of times in Brown’s presence when former and current students would come by to greet him.

 

That’s not just a picture with the legendary John Calipari above. That’s a picture that also includes Bridgeport’s own legendary Tom Brown.

 

Editor's Note: Coach John Calipari and Tom Brown are shown above and the bottom picture shows Calipari sending out some Twitter love to his former coach to the masses.