Alumni Spotlight: Bob Brown '73

It’s basketball time at Notre Dame and what better way to spotlight an alumnus than one of our own basketball stars!  

Mr. Bob Brown graduated from Notre Dame in 1973 and upon graduation, he attended East Tennessee State University from 1973-1980. During this time, he played pro basketball in Europe and then came back to complete his bachelor’s degree in history/social studies for grades 7-12.  He was driven to attend ETSU because of the basketball scholarship he received which ultimately led to free college tuition.  One of his favorite memories from college was that he made back-to-back Division 1 All-American and the dean's list every quarter. He was so motivated because of those few in high school who did not believe in him, and he was able to go back and approach them directly and let them know he was a success after all!  Mr. Brown goes on to say that he would describe his college days in three words as happy, stressful, and unusual.  In July, 2025, Bob was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

Upon his college graduation, Mr. Brown held a position as an educator from 1981 until his most recent retirement in May 2025 from Daniel Boone High School in Gray, Tennessee. His first job was at Lakeview Middle School until Mr. Jim Phifer needed a basketball coach at Notre Dame. Phifer was able to convince him to return to his alma mater and coach for a time. He has been a level five teacher for the past thirty years, and education is very important to him.  He did state that he has always been tougher on the athletes than other students because he believes you must be a student first and then an athlete because being an athlete is a privilege when you do what is expected of you in the classroom academically and behaviorally.  

As a long-time educator, things have changed so much in the field of teaching. His passion though comes from being able to help students who struggle with basic academic skills. Mr. Brown taught in the inner city of Memphis, Charlotte, and Chattanooga. Most of the students were not even at grade level reading and lacked basic vocabulary skills. Those are the students he enjoys teaching because if just one tells you that you made a difference, it is worth every struggle in the profession.  

Now, let’s talk about basketball! Mr. Brown is a celebrated basketball player for sure. While a student athlete at Notre Dame, he led the basketball team to the 1973 state basketball tournament at the UTK athletic arena and proceeded to break the scoring record in the semifinals with forty-two points.  He takes joy in knowing that although the record was broken twenty years later, he will always be the record holder at that particular UTK arena, since it has been torn down and replaced with a new arena. 

He also accomplished some great feats while attending ETSU and those accomplishments have been celebrated in the best ways.  He is the only ETSU basketball player in history to average a double-double for an entire season with 16.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game as well as the only player to ever lead the league in the two categories of rebounding and field goal percentage. His junior year at ETSU, he was second in the United States in field goal percentage just behind Sindey Moncrief, who later became a member of the NBA Hall of Fame. Brown is also the only ETSU player to play pro basketball in the Casino de Spa Basketball Belgium league in Europe where he averaged thirty-eight points per game and seventeen rebounds per game.  His best game, he scored sixty-three points! One interesting fact about Mr. Brown was that he says after a game was over, he did not talk about it. It was done. Most people do not even know he played basketball; which is interesting considering he is 6’8”!  

Because of his basketball success, Mr. Brown has been inducted into not one but THREE halls of fame! Brown was inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, the Casino de Spa Belgium Basketball Hall of Fame and he is the only basketball player from Chattanooga and Notre Dame High School to be inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame; which took place this past July, 2025. Mr. Brown stated he is humbled, honored and blessed to have been inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.  

Today, although retired, he still finds a way to sub some at Daniel Boone High School but more importantly, spends every day going to Saint Mary’s church where he gets the opportunity to read God’s sermon and spend time in daily prayer adoration. He attributes his strong faith and love for the Lord to his mother who, in 2013, sadly passed away, but that her last ask of him was that he be more spiritual, and since then he has been nothing but. He continues to live through the love of God in everything he does due to his loving mother’s request. 

Click here to view Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame interview on WJHL