Meet and great set for next Thursday at the school
Brown
As a student at Spanish Fort High School, Troy Brown played on two state championship baseball teams and one state championship football team. He will now bring that winning attitude to Flomaton High School as the Hurricanes' new head baseball coach.
The Escambia County School Board approved Brown as a physical education teacher and head baseball coach at its May 19 meeting.
FHS Principal George Brown, who noted he is not related to Troy Brown, said he reached out to Troy Brown to coach baseball in Flomaton.
"I coached him in football," George Brown said. "I've never coached a person who brought a winning attitude to practice every day like he did. He's a great guy and he's a winner."
"He's also a person who will instill good character in his players and students," George Brown added.
George Brown also praised the job Keith Nall did with the baseball team after Wes Sessions resigned that position.
"Keith told me he would step aside if the opportunity came along to hire someone else," George Brown said. "Keith is to be commended. He stepped aside for the good of Flomaton baseball and I want to thank him."
"If we had more people like Keith Nall we'd all be better off," George Brown added.
Troy Brown, 29, said he's excited about coming to Flomaton. Players, family and members of the community will have an opportunity to meet Troy Brown next Thursday at a meet and greet scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the high school.
Brown played football and baseball at Spanish Fort and played shortstop at Faulkner State for two years. He then transferred to the University of West Georgia in Carlton, Ga. After graduating, he stayed on with the West Georgia baseball staff for another two years.
He served as an assistant head baseball coach at Bayside from 2018 to 2000 and then coached at McGill Toolen in Mobile.
"When I was at Bayside, Flomaton was in our area," Brown said.
He recalled in the playoffs, Flomaton came to Bayside and Bayside won the first game and then Bayside traveled to Flomaton the next day.
"I was starstruck to see how many people showed up to watch Flomaton baseball," he said.
Flomaton beat Bayside in the first game at Flomaton but Bayside won the tiebreaker.
"They played with a passion," Brown said of Flomaton in that series. "And seeing how the community supported them was something else."
He said when he got the call from George Brown to come to Flomaton he felt like it was a great opportunity for him, his wife and two children.
While he doesn't officially start his duties until August, Brown said he be traveling back and forth and meeting with players.
"I will be myself and let them know my expectations," Brown said. "I'm the outsider coming in but I've already experienced some of the love the community."
"I love being part of a winning culture," he said. "We won back-to-back state titles in 2010 and 2011 and being the head coach at Bayside was an eye-opening experience."
He said that a winning culture begins establishing a winning culture and to develop the kids to do what they need to do. It's not all about winning, but it is about building character and a culture for winning. Then winning begins."
He also said people playing baseball can't simply wait until January to pick up a bat, ball and glove.
"It starts in the weight room to put ourselves in a position to win," he said.
He said baseball has always been his passion, but even during football season he found time to work on baseball skills.
"That's the culture I want to bring to Flomaton," he said.
