Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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cavalier sports AUGUST 2021 7 B orn and raised in Charlottesville, Gregory Brown (Col '89) is proud to say that he comes from a family of Wahoos. His father, mother and uncle received their graduate degrees from UVA; his brother Cole, now a surgeon in Washington, D.C., received his undergraduate degree at UVA; one first cousin attended UVA; and another was a graduate student and a Fulbright Scholar. In the fall, his daughter Anne will matriculate in the College. After attending boarding school in western Massachusetts and being from the South, Brown was ready to come home to attend college. His choice was between Duke, where his father was on the football team, and UVA, which was closest to his heart. "In 1985, I loved everything about Virginia," Brown said. "The fact that it was a public school, that it was the flagship school of my home state, my love of Thomas Jefferson and Virginia traditions, and what then was a fanati- cal devotion on the part of students, faculty and the entire community to the University of Virginia itself and the beautiful city of Charlottesville. "I think Charlottesville is the greatest town ever, anywhere, that it is the best college town in America, and that orange and blue are the most beautiful colors ever conceived. I didn't want to go anywhere else to school." Brown was a Lawn resident at the university and was active with St. Anthony Hall, student council, the university guide service and UVA's equestrian team, where he was a two-time national champion. He is proud to say he was a student of the great Professor Larry Sabato. "I certainly enjoyed social events such as Foxfield and competi- tions with the UVA equestrian team," Brown recalled, "but there is no question that my favorite memories were football tailgates and cheering from the Hill in Scott Stadium on gorgeous fall Saturdays. "As uncool as this may sound, I really enjoyed seeing my parents at their tailgate parties with other alumni before, during and after games." After receiving his degree in government and foreign affairs in 1989, Brown entered the legal profession, first as a student at Duke University's School of Law and then as a trial lawyer focusing exclu- sively in the field of civil litigation. After serving as a federal judicial law clerk for the Honorable Donald E. Walter, he was a partner in two prominent, large firms. He then founded his own firm, a civil litigation boutique that represented professionals, public entities, insurers and corporations in the defense of high exposure lawsuits, trying numerous cases of significance to verdict. Brown and his partner, Kristi, reside in an 1812 farmhouse on the Rivanna River just over Pantops Mountain. While over the years he has lived around the world and even throughout Albemarle and Orange Counties, Charlottesville is and will always be his home. "I absolutely adore our basketball program and the amazing Coach [Tony] Bennett, and love having season tickets at JPJ," Brown said. "My first, last and true love will always be UVA football. I think Scott Stadium is the finest sports venue in all the world and nothing beats a late-afternoon game, a slight chill in the air, as the sun is just going down over the scoreboard and the Wahoos are laying a whoop- ing on a certain dreaded in-state rival (that shall remain unnamed!). "Like all true fans of UVA sports, especially football, I have my tales of heartbreak, but in all honesty I am so blessed to have expe- rienced numerous instances of profound joy when our beloved team shocks the world and shows what our great school, our great commu- nity and our great Commonwealth are truly capable of achieving." Brown's father was a Virginia High School All-American in foot- ball who won a state championship under the famed coach Ed Henry. He attended Duke University on a football scholarship, thereby giving access to a fantastic education through the game of football. "I believe that my superb education at Virginia and by extension my success as a lawyer are both a direct product of the game of foot- ball in the state of Virginia and more generally college football, even though I never played the sport beyond eighth grade," Brown noted. "Therefore, I am proud to continue our family's tradition of support- ing the University of Virginia and honoring the Commonwealth of Virginia and the game of football by supporting the Virginia Athlet- ics Foundation in a variety of ways, including endowing an in-state football scholarship in my father's name. "I believe Virginia has the best athletic director [Carla Williams] in the country, and she has amassed the most talented and inspiring group of coaches across the board I have ever witnessed. UVA and the Commonwealth deserve programs that can compete for and win national championships in every sport, and we have that! "Now, it is time for football to be included in those vaunted ranks and I know that Carla Williams and Coach [Bronco] Mendenhall, along with the excellent team at VAF, are the right people for the job. Let's give them everything they need so that we can see our Wahoos in the College Football Playoff!" Brown's love for his school and commitment to giving back are evident. "Give early, give often, and Go Hoos," he said. Gregory Brown WAHOO NATION ABOVE: Brown's love for Virginia and his commitment to giving back are evi- dent. TOP LEFT: Brown with UVA football head coach Bronco Mendenhall. BOTTOM LEFT: Brown with UVA men's basketball head coach Tony Bennett. PHOTOS COURTESY GREGORY BROWN