JHWAUEX
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I'm sorry if this has already been posted, but even if it's worth another look. It's about Ronnie Brown the person and it shows that we got so much more than just a great ballplayer with the #2 pick:
SUNDAY FOCUS | RONNIE BROWN
The Dolphins' Ronnie Brown was a hit with the Cartersville, Ga., townsfolk long before he was No. 2 pick in the NFL draft.
BY ARMANDO SALGUERO
asalguero@herald.com
CARTERSVILLE, Ga. - The Burger King on Highway 41 has a picture of him hanging on the wall, as does the Capri restaurant across the street from the high school. The Meg Pie restaurant has a cappuccino drink named after him, and Mayor Mike Fields wants to give him the key to the city and honor him with a dinner on June 11.
This town, nestled amid northwest Georgia's rolling hills and cooled by breezes that carry friendly greetings for strangers, has a favorite son.
His name is Ronnie Brown.
The Cartersville love affair with Brown began long before the Dolphins made the powerful running back their first-round draft pick two weeks ago. It began before he was a big-shot running back at Auburn University or a record-breaker and team leader for the Cartersville High Purple Hurricanes.
It began when Ronnie Brown was poor and small and hungry -- but still full of the same endearing qualities that folks see today.
''Ronnie's a very positive person. He always looks at the glass and says it's half-full,'' said Stuart Chester, who was Brown's high school baseball coach. ``He's quiet, he sacrifices for people, he's pleasant, he's respectful. He's humble.
``I guess what I'm saying is he's the type of young man you want your daughter to bring home and your son to be like. And even though as a coach I'm older than him, he's the type of person you emulate. He's just good people. You just want him to be part of your family.''
EARLY WALK
Brown was born to Joyce and Ronnie Brown on Dec. 12, 1981, at 12:12 in the afternoon. ''Yep, he came at 12:12 on 12-12,'' the elder Ronnie Brown said. ``When it happened, I felt this sharp thrill all over. I felt like a tingling went through me.''
Before he was nine months old, the man who would earn a living on his feet already was walking.
''He would walk on his toes,'' Joyce Brown said. 'He wore out all his shoes at the toe before he outgrew them. My momma would see that and say, `This boy's going to be fast on his feet.' ''
When Brown was 6 years old, he announced to his parents he was going to play in the NFL. His parents encouraged the idea rather than dismiss the dream. That positive reinforcement remains part of Brown's personality today.
Two weeks ago when Joyce complained that she simply couldn't quit smoking, Brown stopped her before she embraced the thought.
'I told her, `Don't say that, momma,' '' Brown said. 'The word `can't' is not in our vocabulary.''
Brown admits he is reserved. But he makes friends easily. That's how he connected with Justin Tripp when the two were playing pee-wee football.
'One day after practice, Justin comes over and says, `You know that fast little black boy? Well, he needs a ride home. Can we give him a ride home?' And that's how it started,'' said Andy Tripp, a Cartersville veterinarian.
``Ronnie was just likeable and fun. We loved him, and he loved us. So we'd give him rides, take him out to eat, then he started spending the night and became part of the family. He was just easy and fun, and he never took advantage. We'd ask if he wanted to get something to eat and he'd say, `No.'
``Then we'd stop anyway, and it turns out he was hungry. That's the kind of kid he was.''
The Tripps -- Andy and his wife, Chris -- since have gone from being strangers in Brown's life to almost an extension of his family. Brown calls Chris ''Momma Tripp.'' She calls herself Brown's ``other mother.''
Brown has a key to the Tripps' home. Brown included the Tripps in the decision-making process when recruiters and agents came calling, and he invited them to come with him to the draft in New York.
Brown spends part of the holidays with his parents and part with Chris and Andy and their kids Justin, Tatum and Jake.
''Yeah, if I have to work and can't show up, no one says a word,'' Andy Tripp said. 'But if Ronnie isn't there, everybody asks, `Where's Ronnie?' ''
So why do the Tripps love Brown? Why do his parents have a miniature Ronnie shrine, complete with his picture and 18-inch-tall action figures surrounding their fireplace?
Why does Cartersville embrace Ronnie Brown?
''It's because of how he is, not because of who he is,'' Joyce Brown said. ``Ronnie's really an easygoing person. Somebody asked me about the last time I saw him mad, and I really can't remember the last time. He hasn't been mad in a long time. He's just a good person.''
Take the LINK to read the rest:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/football/11594573.htm
SUNDAY FOCUS | RONNIE BROWN
The Dolphins' Ronnie Brown was a hit with the Cartersville, Ga., townsfolk long before he was No. 2 pick in the NFL draft.
BY ARMANDO SALGUERO
asalguero@herald.com
CARTERSVILLE, Ga. - The Burger King on Highway 41 has a picture of him hanging on the wall, as does the Capri restaurant across the street from the high school. The Meg Pie restaurant has a cappuccino drink named after him, and Mayor Mike Fields wants to give him the key to the city and honor him with a dinner on June 11.
This town, nestled amid northwest Georgia's rolling hills and cooled by breezes that carry friendly greetings for strangers, has a favorite son.
His name is Ronnie Brown.
The Cartersville love affair with Brown began long before the Dolphins made the powerful running back their first-round draft pick two weeks ago. It began before he was a big-shot running back at Auburn University or a record-breaker and team leader for the Cartersville High Purple Hurricanes.
It began when Ronnie Brown was poor and small and hungry -- but still full of the same endearing qualities that folks see today.
''Ronnie's a very positive person. He always looks at the glass and says it's half-full,'' said Stuart Chester, who was Brown's high school baseball coach. ``He's quiet, he sacrifices for people, he's pleasant, he's respectful. He's humble.
``I guess what I'm saying is he's the type of young man you want your daughter to bring home and your son to be like. And even though as a coach I'm older than him, he's the type of person you emulate. He's just good people. You just want him to be part of your family.''
EARLY WALK
Brown was born to Joyce and Ronnie Brown on Dec. 12, 1981, at 12:12 in the afternoon. ''Yep, he came at 12:12 on 12-12,'' the elder Ronnie Brown said. ``When it happened, I felt this sharp thrill all over. I felt like a tingling went through me.''
Before he was nine months old, the man who would earn a living on his feet already was walking.
''He would walk on his toes,'' Joyce Brown said. 'He wore out all his shoes at the toe before he outgrew them. My momma would see that and say, `This boy's going to be fast on his feet.' ''
When Brown was 6 years old, he announced to his parents he was going to play in the NFL. His parents encouraged the idea rather than dismiss the dream. That positive reinforcement remains part of Brown's personality today.
Two weeks ago when Joyce complained that she simply couldn't quit smoking, Brown stopped her before she embraced the thought.
'I told her, `Don't say that, momma,' '' Brown said. 'The word `can't' is not in our vocabulary.''
Brown admits he is reserved. But he makes friends easily. That's how he connected with Justin Tripp when the two were playing pee-wee football.
'One day after practice, Justin comes over and says, `You know that fast little black boy? Well, he needs a ride home. Can we give him a ride home?' And that's how it started,'' said Andy Tripp, a Cartersville veterinarian.
``Ronnie was just likeable and fun. We loved him, and he loved us. So we'd give him rides, take him out to eat, then he started spending the night and became part of the family. He was just easy and fun, and he never took advantage. We'd ask if he wanted to get something to eat and he'd say, `No.'
``Then we'd stop anyway, and it turns out he was hungry. That's the kind of kid he was.''
The Tripps -- Andy and his wife, Chris -- since have gone from being strangers in Brown's life to almost an extension of his family. Brown calls Chris ''Momma Tripp.'' She calls herself Brown's ``other mother.''
Brown has a key to the Tripps' home. Brown included the Tripps in the decision-making process when recruiters and agents came calling, and he invited them to come with him to the draft in New York.
Brown spends part of the holidays with his parents and part with Chris and Andy and their kids Justin, Tatum and Jake.
''Yeah, if I have to work and can't show up, no one says a word,'' Andy Tripp said. 'But if Ronnie isn't there, everybody asks, `Where's Ronnie?' ''
So why do the Tripps love Brown? Why do his parents have a miniature Ronnie shrine, complete with his picture and 18-inch-tall action figures surrounding their fireplace?
Why does Cartersville embrace Ronnie Brown?
''It's because of how he is, not because of who he is,'' Joyce Brown said. ``Ronnie's really an easygoing person. Somebody asked me about the last time I saw him mad, and I really can't remember the last time. He hasn't been mad in a long time. He's just a good person.''
Take the LINK to read the rest:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/football/11594573.htm
