One by one, students sprinted across the football field at Sto-Rox Jr./Sr. High School. It was a warm day for early May, and students were sweating as they dashed across the sizzling turf.
“Go!” shouted Nate Brown, head coach of the new Sto-Rox Middle School Track & Field Team, as each student set up to run. For Brown, the speed and skills he’s developing in these middle schoolers is foundational.
“I love Track and Field because it’s one of those sports that translates to pretty much every other sport,” said Brown. “Whether you’re a football, basketball, or baseball player, building speed, agility, balance, coordination…and knowing how to run and jump is essential.”
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Brown was already coaching football when this opportunity came up.
“I was actually helping (Head Football) Coach (Brendan) Blair with his off-season football training and my responsibility was to help develop overall team speed,” explained Brown. “I started taking the guys through various speed training and sprint workouts every day after school.
Athletic Director Shomari Phelps quickly noticed Brown’s talent for teaching speed. He suggested Brown pursue a head coaching job, and the timing was right for Phelps to start a middle school program.
“Sto didn’t offer any other middle school sports during the spring, so when Phelps floated the idea of starting a middle school team, I think those younger students were just looking for something they could call their own,” said Brown.
Brown wasted no time building a team. He is also a substitute teacher at the Jr./Sr. High School, which helped him build students’ trust.
“I began hanging in the cafeteria, walking the halls, and actively recruiting students,” he said. “I was able to sell them on the idea of legacy and the benefits of being part of a start-up program.”
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In his youth, Brown - a Homewood native - focused on competition to keep himself out of trouble.
“Sports kept me away from the gangs and the drugs that claimed the lives of so many of my friends,” he explained, “so I’ve always understood the value that sports carry.”
Brown played football and ran track at Perry Traditional Academy and played football at PennWest California while studying sports management. Brown has since focused on coaching and building 5A Elite Youth Empowerment, a trauma-informed social service agency.
“I’ve partnered with districts all across the country doing sport-related impact work and where the need is greatest is where I tend to do my best work,” said Brown. “Once I began doing the research and began to really understand the dynamics at play here (in Sto-Rox), it was a no-brainer.”
Brown said his goal is to harness the positives of a sport and use them to help students grow.
“Of course, we want to win and of course we want them to use their abilities to earn scholarships and various other opportunities,” he said, “but to see them happy and able to enjoy life as a kid simply running and jumping is heartwarming.”
Brown credited his assistant coaches - Coach Q and Coach Ashley - with the new program’s success.
“The three of us worked really well with the off-field relational aspects that are so crucial to students at this age level,” he said. “The family atmosphere, the consistency, the discipline, and the genuine love that we share for these students was something that I think they were able to feel.”
RELATED: Brown Hired as Substitute Teacher (January 16, 2025 School Board Meeting)
Brown believes students bought into the process of building a team and learning the sport.
“I watched them go from never running track before to believing that they can take this as far as they desire,” said Brown. “It was really beautiful to see.”
For Brown, the growth of the Sto-Rox Track & Field program mirrors the district’s growth.
“When I came into the district, I told the board of directors that I can sense the feel of new beginnings in the air,” said Brown. “I love being a part of helping to build something transformative from the ground up.”
With a season under his belt, Brown believes he’s ready to help bring the district and this middle school track team into the future.
“The groundwork has been laid,” he said. “Now we have to begin the process of evolving from simply a track team to making the wholesale shift toward a full-fledged track program.”