Santa Barbara High’s roster of athletic legends took its second big hit in less than a year when Booker Brown died Monday, July 18, after an extended illness. The longtime pastor and founder of a charitable foundation in Mojave was 69.
Brown, born in the cotton country of Wesson, Mississippi, moved west with his family as a child. He displayed his athletic talents at SBHS as a heavy-hitting football lineman; a big-bodied basketball player with a surprisingly soft shooting touch; and a power-hitting first baseman. He graduated in 1970 and went on to become a much decorated offensive lineman at Santa Barbara City College and USC.
In his first year at USC, Brown joined his former SBHS teammate, fullback Sam Cunningham. The Trojans capped their national championship season in 1972 with a resounding Rose Bowl victory over Ohio State. Cunningham scored four touchdowns while Brown and the rest of the line crushed the Buckeyes at the goal line.