Paul Brown Birthplace Committee commissions statue of legendary coach

Dec. 29—NORWALK — For the first time in the city's 200-year history, a statue is coming to town.

The local committee working to honor native son and legendary football coach Paul Brown has raised $45,400 and has sent the initial $25,000 payment to the Pennsylvania firm that will cast the bronze statue.

The life-sized likeness of Brown has been approved by his son, Mike Brown, owner of the Cincinnati Bengals and his family, according to Mayor Dave Light.

"They're all on board with it, which is great," Light said.

The Paul Brown Birthplace Committee is planning a park area at the front of Suhr Park on West Main Street where the statue will stand on a floor of brick and granite pavers. Other components include a replica stadium wall and an Ohio Historical Marker.

The initial payment for the $75,000 statue gets the design process under way and is based on an artist's rendering done by city business owners Kevin Hipp of Franklin Monument and Trevor Rood of Foghorn Designs.

Funding for the first phase of the sculpture process came from the generosity of both individual donors and corporate sponsors, Light noted. At this point in the fundraising campaign, 100 citizens and businesses have supported the effort to honor Brown, an innovative college and NFL coach who is widely considered to be father of modern football.

"I'm just amazed at how far we've come in such a short time," Light said. "This has been a tough year for the economy, but people have really stepped up. We truly appreciate their generosity and support for this project."

The committee, formed last January, aims to recognize Norwalk as Brown's birthplace.

He was born in a house on West Elm Street on September 7, 1908, and attended Benedict School through fifth grade. His final year at Benedict was the first year that the building — now used as the central offices for Norwalk City Schools — was open for classes.

The group kicked off its public fundraising campaign in September with sales of brick and granite pavers for the grounds of the designated site.

The Paul Brown Park area will showcase the coach in his signature fedora and suit, walking as if prowling the sideline at a Bengals game, in front of a curved wall indicative of a stadium edifice, plus trees and benches.

The left front of the wall will display engraved names or business logos for those who donate $1,000, $2,500 or $5,000 toward the committee's efforts to raise $100,000 to cover the costs of establishing the park area to honor Brown as a citizen of Norwalk.

Plans for the right side of the wall include an engraved list of Brown's notable accomplishments and his innovations to the game of football in America. If needed, that wall also could display more donor names, according to PBC chairman Kathy Root.

"We would love to have so many corporate sponsorships for this project that we will need to use at least part of the left wall for their business names," she said, adding that the current nine corporate sponsors have generously given more than $20,000 to the fundraising efforts.

The back side of the wall, facing Suhr Park itself, will be etched to look like the façade of a football stadium.

The committee believes that once it's completed, the Paul Brown Park area will bring more visitors to Norwalk. An icon of American football at all levels — from Massillon Washington High School to Miami University, Ohio State University and the NFL — Brown is beloved among fans of the game nationwide.

"Norwalk itself is a 'football town' — with playoff appearances and state championships by both the Truckers and the Flyers, along with many athletes who have gone on to play Division I football in college. We hope that interest in Paul Brown will spark trips by football fans to the city once the statue and park area are complete," she added.

First coach of the namesake Cleveland NFL team and a co-founder and first coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, Brown began his Ohio coaching career at Massillon before moving on to Ohio State, where, in 1942, he led the Buckeyes to the first of their eight national championships.

Brown retired from coaching in 1975 but remained as president of the Bengals organization until his death in 1991. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967. His all-time coaching record in the NFL stands at 167-53-8 over 17 seasons, with eight league championships.

At the time of his induction, he noted, "The most pleasant way of life is to have a job you love, and I love football coaching. Money is relatively unimportant to me, once I've taken care of the comforts of my family."

Fundraising continues in 2023 for the $100,000 overall budget, with the committee seeking foundation grants and ongoing availability of corporate sponsorships and pavers.

Those who are interested in participating can pick up an order form at City Hall or access the document on the City of Norwalk website, norwalkoh.com. Forms can also be accessed through the Paul Brown Birthplace Committee's Facebook page at facebook.com/PaulBrownBirthplaceCommittee.

--------------------

CORPORATE SPONSORS (through Dec. 28)

Norweco, Inc.

Norwalk Lions Club

John and Jennifer Evans

Fisher-Titus Medical Center

Mike and Skip Wilde Families

Insurance Services of Norwalk

Norwalk Concrete Services

Frank Van Dresser Family

Norwalk NAPA Auto Care Group

SPONSORS

Battles Insurance

Steve and Sharon Linder

Marc and Heidi Hovestaedt

Ken and Debra Moyer

Eagle Lake LLC

Jay and Paulette Ewell

Wes and Kristen Miller

Antonio Jason Zendejas

Dave and Kim Light

Paul Schlotterer

Norma Schaechterle

American Legion Post 41

Barry and Kim Zadeh

Lake Erie Construction Co.

Jerry and Annei Smith

Deborah Lucal

James and Sandra Blum

Michael and Kim Moore

Flickinger Insurance

Joseph and Diana Weisenberger

JDB Home Improvements

Pat Stofira

Jean Beaulieu

Dan and Debbie Bowers Family

Marty Sowers

Skip and Patti Wilde

Norwalk Kiwanis

Eric and Cheryl Lieber

Kari Breitbach

Frank and Joyce Nedveski

Chris Luce Family

Reta Stark

Joe and Jody Centers

Darryl and Kim More

Brenda Careless

Brian and Betsy Kniffin

Jami Brooker

Morgan Tucker

Hill's Interiors

Amanda Quinlan

Chris Spangler

Mike and Carolyn Bick

John E. Schumm

Miller Landscape & Gardens

Tom and Karen Sharpnack

Jeffrey Bengel

Judy Emmons

Dave and Marian Schild

Philip Garwood

New Horizons Baking Co.

Philip Garwood Family

Jim Englert

Matthew and Lisa Herner

Janet Herner

Lisa Hivnor

Ken Brown

Dave Bute

Alice Pleasnick

James Wise

Bo Lacey Construction

Tucker Escrow & Title Services

Nancy Cloak

Firelands VFW Post 2743

Allyn and Roberta Schnellinger

Tom and Kathy Root

Lonz Law Firm

Extol of Ohio

Dave's Food Mart

Nobil's Sports & Trophies

Kathy Molek

Cliff Cannon

Patti Jackson

Tom and Renee Kluding

Steve Gfell Family

Kathleen Martucci

Paul Bajcer

Karen and Bud Brumby

Kathleen Schaffer

Thomas Schaffer

Marty and Holly Schaffer

Neil Casper

Jim Westerhold

Jan Tkach

Chris Higgins

Gene Hartman

Nancy Skinner

Kelly Moine

Truck Sales & Service, LLC

Brandon and Jen Meagrow

Paul and Linda Monnes