Matthew S. Brown, known as Matt P.F. Brown (born November 24, 1976), is a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and track and field coach at

Idalou High School Idalou High School is a public high school located in the city of Idalou, USA and classified as a 3A school by the UIL. It is a part of the Idalou Independent School District located in eastern Lubbock County. In 2015, the school was rated " M ...

in Idalou in

Lubbock County, Texas Lubbock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 census placed the population at 310,639. Its county seat and largest city is Lubbock. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1891. It is named for Thomas Saltus ...

, who is a gold and bronze winner in the

Parapan American Games The Parapan American Games is an international multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities held every four years after every Pan American Games. The first Games were held in 1999 in Mexico City, Mexico. The 2003 Parapan American Ga ...

. Brown's left leg was amputated above the knee because of an accidental industrial explosion on December 20, 2005. In September 2007, Brown won a gold medal in the discus, having set a record throw of , and a bronze in the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

at the

2007 Parapan American Games The 2007 Parapan American Games, officially the III Parapan American Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities, celebrated in the tradition of the Parapan American Games as governed by the Americas Paraly ...

held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He has also competed in the

2008 Summer Paralympic Games The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was f ...

in Beijing, where he finished fourth in the men's discus. On July 12, 2011, Brown was suspended for three months by the Paralympic team after a

United States Anti-Doping Agency The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti- doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...

test revealed the presence of a marijuana

metabolite In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism. The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, c ...

in his body. He was also made ineligible to participate in official track and field events for a calendar year. He tested positive for

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

again in a June 2012 test and was again suspended for twelve months. Brown graduated from Idalou High School, where he played football, basketball, baseball, and competed in track and field. He was an All-State tight end in football, All-District center in basketball, and a two-time state champion in the discus and shot put. He graduated from Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, the seat of

Hale County, Texas Hale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 32,522. The county seat is Plainview. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1888. It is named for Lt. John C. Hale, a hero of the B ...

. He played football at Wayland for two years and was an All-American in track and field there. He now coaches both sports at his '' alma mater''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Matt (Track And Field Athlete) 1976 births Living people American male discus throwers American male shot putters American disabled sportspeople High school football coaches in Texas Wayland Baptist University alumni sportspeople from Lubbock, Texas Medalists at the 2007 Parapan American Games