His first varsity touchdown run at Millionaires Stadium; the time he broke a game-winning 97-yard touchdown run for Curtin Middle School; scratching his back on the locker he shared with Jay Paterno at Penn State; the light-hearted ribbing Penn State guys gave him for his iconic Jheri curl; the time he suited up in full gear for one play against Lycoming’s defense during a practice.

Saturday morning at Millionaire Stadium was a time of reflection and reminiscing as Brown’s family — wife Kim, children Malena, Dorianna and Tre and brothers Kevin and Ryan — had a memorial service at the same football stadium in which Brown ran for more than 4,000 yards and 74 touchdowns.

An emotional event gave way to smiles and laughs as everyone in attendance — friends, family and fans — heard stories about not just the type of player Brown was, but the type of person he was and the impact he had on those around him.

Former Penn State players were in attendance, such as Penn State running back Blair Thomas. Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, who Brown coached while he was the running backs coach at Dallas, was also in attendance, as was former Cleveland Browns assistant coach Brian Daboll, who coached with Brown for two years.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Former Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray speaks at a memorial tribute for former Williamsport standout Gary Brown, who passed away in April.

One thing that just about every guest speaker noted, was Brown’s huge, infectious smile and laugh.

“I met GB going to my second year in the NFL and first thing I remember about first meeting him, he had this big grin. His smile was very contagious and he was the most positive person I ever met in my life,” former Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray said. “For me, coming off an injury and tough year, he helped me realize the kind of player, kind of person and kind of father I wanted to be. He was a bright spot in my life and I can’t thank him enough for things he taught me. Not only as a player, but as a man, a father and a husband.

“You’d always see that big, bright smile and his personality was so positive, even when things were bad. He stayed positive and that helped me as a person, helped us as a team, to always carry on.”

Conversations of family and life were what Murray recalled during their one-on-one meetings while special teams were practicing.

“We wouldn’t talk football, we’d talk life. He always made sure the person, not the player, that I was, was more intact than a player. That’s one thing I appreciate about GB,” Murray said. “He was about life and helping you become a better person as well as a football player, but he was a people person.”

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Dallas Cowboys quality control and analytics coach Ryan Valero speaks at a memorial tribute for former Williamsport standout Gary Brown, who passed away in April. Valero and Brown coached with each other when Brown was a running backs coach with Dallas.

Steve Dewar, Brown’s coach at Curtin Middle School, noted there wasn’t just one word that could sum up Brown. The larger-than-life personality and type of person Brown was has stuck with Dewar decades later.

“For me there’s no one single word, he was a great friend, former player and source of pride and inspiration and who was to me caring, loving, strong, humorous, encouraging, courageous and a few more words,” Dewar said. “He was a determined person who pursued his dreams to the highest level in football. Never blinking in the face of adversity and can always could be counted on. He turned to teaching others about the game (after playing). His experience could help pave the way for others.”

Greg Walker, who was part of Williamsport’s Eastern Conference-winning team in 1986 with Brown, noted that the former Millionaire and Penn State standout reminded him of Superman.

“In Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Gary Brown is Superman who has no Clark Kent. He’s Gary Brown all the time. Shakespeare said ‘heavy is the head that wears the crown.’ We had Gary Leroy Brown — Superman — and for that, he lived up to that,” Walker said. “He was my friend, we started off playing against each other (in middle school), then played with each other (in high school), then again against each other (in college).”

While playing against each other in college, Walker remembered playing defense with Syracuse and trying to stop Brown, at Penn State, on a run.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Steve Dewar, Gary Brown's former Curtin Middle School Coach and longtime friend, speaks at a memorial tribute for former Williamsport standout Gary Brown, who passed away in April.

“We’re out there on the field, I’m playing corner on the right side. Gary gets the ball and he’s moving at a high-rate of speed. I’m ready to break to make a tackle, he makes me miss. He cuts back to inside, I cut back and make tackle, but he jumps up and just starts laughing and walking backwards with his laugh,” Walker said while imitating Brown’s laugh. “Competition and fun, that’s Gary Brown all day long.”

Dewar recalled going to watch Brown play at Houston, San Diego and New York during his NFL days. It was during a game at New York against the Minnesota Vikings, Dewar got to see his former Curtin standout running back break a game-winning run against Minnesota.

“Gary took it around the end, took it all the way in and the Giants won the football game. Everyone in Giants stadium was going crazy, clapping and screaming. I turned around and looked at Gary Sr. I said ‘Gary aren’t you going to get up and clap for your son?’ He said ‘do you think Gary comes to my work and claps when I do my job?'” Dewar said with a laugh.

Brown’s accolades as a football player are more than well known. He ran for more than 4,000 yards with Williamsport — among the top of the program’s list — and went on to have an outstanding career at Penn State. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the seventh round of the 1991 NFL Draft. After his playing career, which included stints with Houston, San Diego and New York, Brown started his long coaching career.

He coached in 2003 with Lycoming College as an assistant before making a stop at Susquehanna and Rutgers. He became the running backs coach for the Dallas Cowboys in 2009 before spending a season at Wisconsin in 2021 as a running backs coach.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Members of Gary Brown's family, including his son Trey, daughters Malena and Dorianna, and wife Kim, listen to speakers at a memorial tribute for former Williamsport standout Gary Brown, who passed away in April.

But Brown’s football talents were just a part of the person he was.

“Selflessness is the very essence of coaching, and it involves a family commitment. We hope you see now coaching at its most noble pursuit is about service to others. It’s about providing a service to young athletes, helping them see and reach a potential they could never imagine for themselves. For true coaches, it’s never about the money. Yes, winning matters, but what remains and endures is the impact coaching has on people throughout the years,” former Penn State player and coach Jay Paterno said. “As you read what players and coaches say about him and people he impacted, we all hope that Kim and all of Gary’s family understand that Gary was a coach of the highest order.

“The people he reached; they too are part of an even broader family. We thank you for sharing Gary with us to so many people throughout the years.”

While there were numerous stories that elicited smiles and laughs about Brown, there were plenty of tears and emotions. Perhaps the most emotions came out at the end of the memorial, when Brown’s daughter Malena spoke.

“I hope you’re sharing precious memories and telling our loved ones who passed before us how deeply you were loved and how deeply you loved. I miss you; I miss your voice; I miss your laughter. I miss your smile, especially when I see it every time I look in the mirror. I miss how infectious everything you did was,” she said. “You laughed, we laughed. You smiled, no one else could resist raising their lips ear to ear.”

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Members of Gary Brown's family listen to speakers at a memorial tribute for former Williamsport standout Gary Brown, who passed away in April.

Brown loved the game of the football and gave back through coaching for years, but his love for his family was what stood out for Dallas Cowboys quality control/analytics coach Kyle Valero, who has been on the Cowboys coaching staff since 2014, including years with Brown. Whenever something was bothering Valero, Brown would stop in his office and ask how his daughter was doing, making Valero realize what was important in the long run.

“He would laugh and recount the story about his children and similar situations, and I think everybody here remembers Gary Brown with a smile on his face. The smile on his face when he talked about his children? It was different. It was brighter, bigger,” Valero said, noting how proud Brown was of his daughters Malena and Dorianna, and his son Tre.

Brown’s family established the Gary L. Brown Jr. Legacy Scholarship Fund at the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania, which FCFP CEO and president Jennifer Wilson announced. The annual scholarship will support student-athletes at Williamsport who demonstrate extraordinary commitment to his or her sport above and beyond their natural ability.

“Gary’s legacy will always be as a great player and coach, but more importantly, the way he lived his life (is part of it),” former Lycoming football coach Frank Girardi said, who had Brown on his staff. “He was a loving and caring husband to Kim, a loving father to Malena, Dori and Tre, and loving brother to Kevin and Ryan. In our lifetime, most of us would like to commit ourselves to do something good.”

And Brown did a lot of good in his lifetime through the game of football. Just ask anyone he came into contact with and saw that big, contagious smile.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Gary Brown's children Tre, Dorianna and Malena listen to speakers at a memorial tribute for former Williamsport standout Gary Brown, who passed away in April.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Longtime Lycoming football coach Frank Girardi speaks at a memorial tribute for former Williamsport standout Gary Brown, who passed away in April. Brown got his coaching career started under GIrardi at Lycoming after his playing days in the NFL concluded.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Former Penn State player and assistant coach Jay Paterno speaks at a memorial tribute for former Williamsport standout Gary Brown, who passed away in April.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Former Penn State player Terry Smith speaks at a memorial tribute for former Williamsport standout Gary Brown, who passed away in April. Smith played alongside Brown with the Nittany Lions.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Former Penn State player Terry Smith speaks at a memorial tribute for former Williamsport standout Gary Brown, who passed away in April. Smith played alongside Brown with the Nittany Lions.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Mallory Scoppa Gardner sings at a memorial tribute for former Williamsport standout Gary Brown, who passed away in April.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Former Williamsport football player Raymond Brooks speaks at a memorial tribute for former Williamsport standout Gary Brown, who passed away in April. Brooks played under Brown, who was an assistant coach at Williamsport after he played in the NFL.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Former Williamsport football player Raymond Brooks speaks at a memorial tribute for former Williamsport standout Gary Brown, who passed away in April. Brooks played under Brown, who was an assistant coach at Williamsport after he played in the NFL.