Charles Douglas Brown (born March 1, 1952 in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

) is a retired American

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete, whose specialty was the

Steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

Early career

While competing for the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

he won the NCAA Championship in the steeplechase twice in a row, which qualified him to run in the 1973 World University Games. After college he ran with the

Athletics West Athletics West (frequently abbreviated in results as AW) was an American running team formed in 1977 by Bill Bowerman, Phil Knight and Geoff Hollister. Overview During the 1970s, a definitive running program for young athletes to continue competi ...

track club, one of the first mega teams sponsored by

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

. He was United States (

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

) National Champion in 1973 and 1980.

Olympic athlete

Brown competed for the United States in two Olympic Games, running the steeplechase at the

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

and 1976 Olympics. He qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but did not compete due to the U.S. Olympic Committee's boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. He was one of 461 athletes to receive a

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

instead. He was a surprise second place at the 1972

Olympic Trials Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

, sprinting from a battle to make the team around leading contender and hometown favorite,

Steve Savage Stephen Read Savage (born June 6, 1948) is an American middle-distance runner. He competed in the men's 3000 metres steeplechase at the 1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () an ...

, who had been battling Mike Manley for the lead. In 1976, with 1972 winner Manley injured hitting a barrier in the first few laps of the race, Brown outsprinted Henry Marsh and picked up the win by 0.03 of a second. That was not even the most thrilling finish in that race, as

Mike Roche Mike Roche (born September 23 in Pascack Valley, New Jersey) is an American actor. Roche played Humphrey James in the 2007 Off-Broadway revival of '' Night Over Taos''http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934921 by Maxwell Anderson directed ...

fell over the last barrier, managed to right himself and outsprint Don Timm for the final position on the team.

1983 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

Brown ran on the American silver medal winning team at the

1983 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 1983 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Gateshead, England, at the Riverside Park on March 20, 1983. A report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald ''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in ...

References

1952 births Living people American male middle-distance runners American male long-distance runners American male steeplechase runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Track and field athletes from Detroit Tennessee Volunteers men's track and field athletes Congressional Gold Medal recipients 20th-century American people {{US-longdistance-athletics-bio-stub