MENU

Sections

  • Home
  • About
    • The Chestertown Spy
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising & Underwriting
      • Advertising Terms & Conditions
    • Editors & Writers
    • Dedication & Acknowledgements
    • Code of Ethics
    • Chestertown Spy Terms of Service
    • Technical FAQ
    • Privacy
  • The Arts and Design
  • Local Life and Culture
  • Public Affairs
    • Ecosystem
    • Education
    • Health
  • Community Opinion
  • Donate to the Chestertown Spy
  • Free Subscription
  • Talbot Spy
  • Cambridge Spy

More

  • Support the Spy
  • About Spy Community Media
  • Advertising with the Spy
  • Subscribe
June 17, 2025

Chestertown Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown

  • Home
  • About
    • The Chestertown Spy
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising & Underwriting
      • Advertising Terms & Conditions
    • Editors & Writers
    • Dedication & Acknowledgements
    • Code of Ethics
    • Chestertown Spy Terms of Service
    • Technical FAQ
    • Privacy
  • The Arts and Design
  • Local Life and Culture
  • Public Affairs
    • Ecosystem
    • Education
    • Health
  • Community Opinion
  • Donate to the Chestertown Spy
  • Free Subscription
  • Talbot Spy
  • Cambridge Spy
3 Top Story Point of View Howard

Remembering Jim Brown by Howard Freedlander

May 21, 2023 by Howard Freedlander

Share

The death Thursday of Jim Brown, whose running talent and statistics were incomparable for years after his retirement from the National Football League’s Cleveland Browns, prompts a flashback.

The sport was lacrosse. He was playing in an all-star game at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood Field. At age 12, I had watched innumerable college games. Never before or since have I watched a better athlete. He was unstoppable.

Brown scored five goals. He ran around and through opponents. Stick checks just bounced off his powerful arms. He faced the best that college lacrosse could produce. Yet, he stood out.

I followed his pro football career. He was an offensive force that few teams could match. His speed and power became redundant on NFL highlight films.

One last comment: I thought he was a compelling movie actor, particularly in the heralded World War II film, “The Dirty Dozen.” Though not a drama school-trained actor, he impressed me with his cinematic ability. Critics might disagree.

Jim Brown lived to 87. He led a life filled with athletic excellence and acting credentials. His civil rights activism was notable.

I will never forget his exploits on a legendary lacrosse field in Baltimore.

Columnist Howard Freedlander retired in 2011 as Deputy State Treasurer of the State of Maryland. Previously, he was the executive officer of the Maryland National Guard. He also served as community editor for Chesapeake Publishing, lastly at the Queen Anne’s Record-Observer. After 44 years in Easton, Howard and his wife, Liz, moved in November 2020 to Annapolis, where they live with Toby, a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel who has no regal bearing, just a mellow, enticing disposition.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: 3 Top Story, Howard

See by Laura J. Oliver  Tim Keller: 1950-2023 by Al Sikes

Letters to Editor

  1. Skip Trump says

    May 21, 2023 at 3:39 PM

    As a lacrosse neophyte who first saw the game as a freshman in college in 1964, I was enthralled and always wished I’d seen Jim Brown play THAT game. What year was the exhibition, Mr. Freedlander? I may well have spaced out on that opportunity…as so many other things to which I wish I’d paid more attention.

    • Howard Freedlander says

      May 21, 2023 at 8:07 PM

      Skip—It was 1957. As I wrote, Jim Brown was other-worldly good.

  2. Richard Owen says

    May 21, 2023 at 7:03 PM

    As a student at Syracuse in 1957 I
    joined the freshman lacrosse team.
    The president of my fraternity, Roy
    Simmons, and some other senior
    players thought an informal Sunday
    afternoon scrimmage with varsity
    men meeting the new freshmen would
    be fun. At the initial face off after a
    scramble for the ball it came my way.
    I lunged for the ball at the same time
    a black varsity player made the same
    move for the ball. We collided. I thought
    I’d been hit by a truck. He stopped to
    see if I was OK. As I rolled over and looked
    up, it was like looking up through the
    colossus of Rhodes. Brown looked down
    at me and said “ Sorry boy,” and continued
    playing. Later that spring on one Saturday
    morning he won the discus throw, the high-
    jump, and placed second in the javelin
    throw and in the afternoon lacrosse game
    scored several goals in the first half in a
    lopsided contest. On campus he was always
    dressed to the nines and a standout. He was
    an extraordinary human being.

    • Richard Owen says

      May 22, 2023 at 12:05 PM

      Richard Owen continues:
      In the late spring of ‘57 I boarded a
      Friday-night bus in Syracuse for an
      overnite trip to Baltimore to see
      Brownie in the same North-South
      all star game Mr Freedlander mentions. The South all-stars tried
      their best to control him. But Brown,
      with his short stick and the ball pressed close to his chest, could not
      be stopped ( a strategy that was later banned). Nonetheless his ability and athleticism soared. He was a marvel to watch.

Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article

We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.

Copyright © 2025

Affiliated News

  • The Cambridge Spy
  • The Talbot Spy

Sections

  • Arts
  • Culture
  • Ecosystem
  • Education
  • Health
  • Local Life and Culture
  • Spy Senior Nation

Spy Community Media

  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising & Underwriting

Copyright © 2025 · Spy Community Media Child Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in