MOUNT VERNON — On Dec. 28, 2016, a patch of black ice on a West Virginia roadway claimed the life of John Brown, former wrestling coach at Mount Vernon High School.
On Saturday, Energy Fieldhouse will host the fifth annual John Brown Memorial Wrestling Tournament.
Brown, who led the program for more than two decades, was killed in a single-car crash.
In his 22 years at Mount Vernon, he was not only at the helm of the wrestling team but also chair of the Math Department.
Brown’s accolades include the AAU Coach of the Year in 2013 and the Ohio Capital Conference top coach 10 times.
“This is the fifth annual John Brown Memorial. It’s not a fundraiser, but an invitational to top-quality teams to compete,” Mount Vernon Athletic Director Justin Sanford explained.
“John Brown originally started the tournament when he was the head wrestling coach. After his passing, we decided to name the tournament in his honor.”
A lasting legacy
Current Mount Vernon Wrestling Coach Corey Firebaugh said Mount Vernon has held the event on the first weekend of the wrestling season for over 25 years.
“It’s always a great event to kick the season off in front of our school and community,” Firebaugh said. “In just the past five years, we have changed the name of the tournament to the John Brown Memorial in honor of the late Coach Brown, who poured his heart and soul into our program for over 20 years.
“We are looking forward to starting our season in front of our home crowd.”
Thirteen teams will participate, along with host Mount Vernon: Olentangy, Olentangy Liberty, Groveport Madison, Galion, Westerville Central, Dublin Scioto, Utica, Dalton, Newark, Chillicothe, Northridge, Medina Highland, Dublin Jerome.
According to Sanford, as with any other tournament, winners in each weight class will be recognized, with one major difference: Champions are presented with custom JBM (John Brown Memorial) awards.
The tournament begins at 9 a.m.