>>NBC THREE SPORTS IS SPONSORED BY GRAVES BROTHERS HOME IMPROVEMENT. >>YOU HAVE NO IDEA, YOUNG MAN, HOW PROUD I AM OF YOU AND THEN YOU LOOK AT ME. I'M GETTING CHOKED UP >>HOW ABOUT THAT? AN EMOTIONAL MOMENT THERE. A CONNECTION LINKING SYRACUSE HEAD FOOTBALL COACH FRAN BROWN TO HIS CHILDHOOD. AND A MAN WHO HELPED SHAPE WHO HE IS TODAY. BROWN'S APPEAL TO FANS, PLAYERS AND RECRUITS IS REALLY ROOTED IN HIS PAST. >>THE SON OF A TEENAGE MOTHER GROWING UP IN POVERTY AND SURROUNDED BY CRIME IN CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY. IT'S A PATH THAT HE SPEAKS OF OFTEN AND OUR ASHLEY WISKOWSKI SPENT A SPECIAL FOUND, A SPECIAL SOMEONE WHO EVEN FRAN BROWN HAD LOST TOUCH WITH IN THE DAYS AFTER BEING NAMED HEAD COACH. >>FRAN BROWN SPOKE TO US ABOUT BEING A LEADER AND A ROLE MODEL, AND A PERSON WHO HELPED TEACH THAT TO HIM. IT WAS A MAN FROM BROWN'S PAST WHO WE SET OUT TO FIND. BROWN'S ARRIVAL IN SYRACUSE WAS MET WITH EXCITEMENT AND CURIOSITY. PLAYERS, FANS AND OF COURSE OUR SPORTS TEAM WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT FRAN BROWN IN THIS BRIEF INTERVIEW OVER ZOOM, THE COACH'S TONE WAS NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT WHEN HE REFLECTED ON THIS PERSON FROM HIS CHILDHOOD. >>THERE WAS A GUY NAMED MR. BARNETT THAT WAS A I'LL NEVER FORGET HIS NAME. >>HE WAS ALWAYS JUST A GOOD LIKE COP. >>AND THEY WOULD COME WITH THE THEIR DOG AND THINGS LIKE THAT. >>AND IT KIND OF MADE YOU WANT TO LIKE BE OPPOSITE OF WHAT EVERYTHING ELSE WAS. >>COACH BROWN CONNECTED THIS INFLUENCE TO HOW HE APPROACHES HIS ROLE TODAY. >>ME BEING A HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, I HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY NOT JUST TO WIN FOOTBALL GAMES. I HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M AMBASSADOR FOR NOT JUST THE SCHOOL, BUT THE COMMUNITY ALSO. AND I KNOW ALL THOSE LITTLE KIDS THAT LOOK UP TO ME, THEY'LL SEE ME AND THEN I'M GIVING HOPE AND DREAMS OF KNOWING LIKE, OKAY, I CAN BE SUCCESSFUL NOW. >>ALMOST IMMEDIATELY OUR TEAM WANTED TO KNOW WHO THIS MAN WAS AND WE WERE LEFT WITH VERY FEW CLUES A LAST NAME BURNETT. AND AT ONE POINT HE WAS A DARE POLICE OFFICER IN CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, A SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY CITY JUST ACROSS THE RIVER FROM PHILADELPHIA, A CITY PLAGUED BY POVERTY AND CRIME FOR DECADES A CITY WHERE A BOY NAMED FRAN BROWN WOULD GROW INTO A YOUNG MAN AND A LOCAL FOOTBALL STAR. A CITY WHERE FOR MANY YEARS, OFFICER PRINCE BURNETT DID HIS BEST TO PUT KIDS ON THE RIGHT PATH. >>IT WAS A 16 WEEK PROGRAM. LIKE I SAID, EACH WEEK HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE THEY'RE DRUG RESISTANT EDUCATION. WHEN WE TAUGHT THE PROGRAM, WE FELT AS THOUGH IF WE COULD SAVE 1 OR 2, THEN THE PROGRAM WAS WORTH IT. YEAH. AND LOOKING BACK AND TO SEE HOW WELL HE'S DONE, IT WAS ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT. >>THE NOW RETIRED POLICE OFFICER, SEEING FOR THE FIRST TIME THE IMPACT THAT HE HAD ON A YOUNG BOY NAMED FRAN BROWN. >>THERE WAS A GUY NAMED MR. BARNETT THAT WAS A I'LL NEVER FORGET HIS NAME. HE WAS ALWAYS JUST A GOOD, LIKE, COP. AND THEY WOULD COME WITH THE DOG, AND THEY KIND OF MADE YOU WANT TO, LIKE, BE OPPOSITE OF WHAT EVERYTHING ELSE WAS. >>BROWN RECALLS MEETING BURNETT IN THE FIFTH GRADE THE EARLY 1990S. >>I WOULDN'T GO DO BAD THINGS BECAUSE HE WOULD ALWAYS SAY DIFFERENT STUFF THAT CAN HAPPEN AND GET INTO TROUBLE CALL ME, TELL THE POLICE TO CALL ME. >>BURNETT WOULD ALSO CHALLENGE BROWN JUST AS HE WOULD THE ROUGHLY 5000 KIDS THAT HE TAUGHT AND MENTORED THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER. >>I SAID, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU GET OLDER? THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO DO. YOU KNOW IT'S LIKE, WELL, WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO DO IT'S LIKE NOTHING. I DON'T KNOW, I'M GOING TO THE NFL AND I'M GOING TO THE NFL. >>AND HE WAS LIKE, WELL, YOU GOT TO DO SOMETHING ELSE. I WENT TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE BECAUSE OF OFFICER BURNETT. >>EMOTIONAL DECADES LATER, AFTER LEARNING THE IMPACT THAT HE'S HAD ON AT LEAST ONE CHILD FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD, ASKING US TO TAKE THIS MESSAGE BACK TO FRAN BROWN, I SEE NOW THAT YOUR DETERMINATION HAS CARRIED YOU ON TO GREAT PLACES, TO DO GREAT THINGS. >>AND YOU HAVE NO IDEA, YOUNG MAN, HOW PROUD I AM OF YOU. AND THEN YOU LOOK AT ME. I'M GETTING CHOKED UP EVEN NOW WITH WITH YOUR SUCCESS, YOU'RE MAKING OTHER PEOPLE GIVE BACK. YOU'RE REACHING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY TO DO THOSE THINGS THAT YOU WERE TAUGHT TO DO HERE. AND I LOVE YOU, MAN. I JUST HOPE YOU DO CONTINUE TO DO GREAT THINGS. AND, LET THEM KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PROUD OF YOU BACK HERE IN CAMDEN >>COACH BROWN IMPLEMENTING WHAT HE WAS TAUGHT FROM THE DARE PROGRAM INTO HIS PHILOSOPHY. NOW FOR THE SU FOOTBALL PROGRAM, DART DETAILED,