UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Nittany Lion basketball family suffered the loss of a standout in program history on March 9 as Monroe Brown passed away in his hometown of Havre de Grace, Md.
Born July 1, 1970, Brown, 41, was affectionately known as "Monnie" and helped lead Penn State teams that packed Rec Hall and generated one of the most successful eras in Nittany Lion basketball history.
A four-year starter (1989-92) and 1992 team captain for coach Bruce Parkhill, Brown helped lead Penn State to four-straight 20-win seasons and four-straight post-season appearances, a feat unmatched in program history. He teamed with fellow standout Freddie Barnes to form a potent backcourt that helped Penn State post a record of 87-40 during their careers, the most wins ever for the Nittany Lions over a four-year period. During that time, Penn State twice reached the Atlantic 10 Tournament championship game and won the school’s first-ever conference tournament title in 1991 with a defeat of George Washington in Rec Hall. That Penn State team went on to stun No. 16-ranked UCLA, 74-69, in the first round of the 1991 NCAA Tournament, a game regarded as one of the greatest in Penn State history.
Penn State also made three NIT appearances (1989, 1990, 1992) with Brown in the backcourt, finishing third in 1990 after reaching the final rounds at Madison Square Garden. Brown was named team MVP in 1992 after leading the Lions averaging 14.6 points and 2.4 steals per game. He led Penn State in steals in three-straight seasons and his 82 steals in 1991 rank as the third-best mark in program history.
Brown ranks 16th all-time on the Nittany Lion career scoring chart with 1,244 points, second on the career steals chart with 239 and sixth on the career assists chart with 450. He was one of three Nittany Lions to post at least 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists on their career.
Brown returned to the Penn State program for the 1995-96 season as an assistant coach under Jerry Dunn. In his one season on the Penn State bench, he helped the Lions to a best-ever second-place Big Ten finish with a 12-6 conference record and earn the No. 5 seed in the 1996 NCAA Tournament where the Penn State fell in the first round to No. 12 seed Arkansas.
A viewing will be held Saturday March 17, 2012, 10a.m.-12p.m. at St. James A.M.E. Church, 615 Green Street, Havre de Grace, Md. A Mass of Remembrance will follow at 1 p.m. on Saturday March 17th at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 615 Congress Avenue, Havre de Grace, Md. Burial will be private.