Joe Brawner

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Joe Brawner
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Career information
High schoolSpringarn (Washington, D.C.)
College
NBA draft1981: undrafted
PositionPoint guard
Career highlights and awards

Joe Brawner is an American former basketball player. He played college basketball for the North Carolina A&T Aggies and Winston-Salem State Rams. Brawner was the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore with the Aggies in 1979.

College basketball career[edit]

Brawner is from Washington, D.C.,[1] and attended Spingarn High School.[2] He was recruited to play for the North Carolina A&T Aggies by assistant coach George Felton under head coach Gene Littles.[3]

Littles credited Brawner's development at point guard throughout his freshman season as being the catalyst for the Aggies success.[4] He totalled 103 assists and led the team with 64 steals during the 1977–78 season.[5] The Aggies won the 1978 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) tournament title.[6]

Brawner was announced as the MEAC Player of the Year on February 22, 1979, after he had averaged 15.4 points per game during the 1978–79 season.[7] The Aggies won a second consecutive MEAC tournament title in 1979.[6]

Littles left the Aggies in 1979 to join the Utah Jazz coaching staff and was replaced by Don Corbett.[8] Brawner and Harold Royster – the only other returning starter from the 1978–79 team – threatened to transfer to the East Carolina Panthers but were convinced to stay.[8] Brawner averaged 20.6 points per game until he was suspended by Corbett in February 1980,[9] and subsequently missed the last four games of the season.[10] Brawner was selected to the All-MEAC first team in 1980.[11] Corbett was "adamant" in a March 1980 interview that Brawner was no longer a part of the Aggies' future plans.[10]

On September 24, 1980, it was announced that Brawner had left the Aggies and enrolled at Winston-Salem State University with intentions of playing basketball for the Rams.[1] It was reported that he had a conflict with Corbett over a difference in desired playing styles.[1] He made his debut for the Rams in December 1980.[12]

College baseball career[edit]

Brawner played on the Aggies baseball team as a shortstop.[13] He joined the team late in 1978 due to his basketball commitments.[14] Brawner returned in 1979; head coach Mel Groomes stated that "I think that after being named player of the year, Joe wants to prove he is an all-around athlete" and believed Brawner had the potential to play professional baseball.[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Barnhart, Tony (September 24, 1980). "Brawner Quits A&T, Joins Rams". News and Record. p. 24. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "McKinley Captures BCCC Crown, 59–52". Richmond Times-Dispatch. December 31, 1976. p. 22. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Pluto, Terry (May 9, 1978). "Recruiting war". The Greensboro Record. p. 25. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Featherston, Al (February 23, 1978). "Littles Turns Program Around For Surprising Aggies". The Durham Sun. p. 13. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Bloss, Bill (November 17, 1978). "Aggies Have Experience As They Defend MEAC Title". Winston-Salem Journal. p. 64. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Williams, Lut (September 16, 2021). "Gene Littles, hoops pioneer, NC A&T coach, passes". HBCU Gameday. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  7. ^ "MEAC honors Brawner". The News and Observer. February 22, 1979. p. 30. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b Tursi, Frank (November 16, 1979). "New Coaching Philosophy Has Aggies in Transition". Winston-Salem Journal. p. 60. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Morris, Ron (February 28, 1980). "Central Hoping To Leave MEAC On Winning Note". The Herald-Sun. p. 49. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b Ball, Drexel (March 6, 1980). "There was no doctor to cure A&T's ills". The Greensboro Record. p. 33. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Brawner All-MEAC". The Greensboro Record. February 27, 1980. p. 46. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Ball, Drexel (December 20, 1980). "A&T battles tall Howard". The Greensboro Record. p. 13. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b Puryear, David (March 20, 1979). "Aggies hope to score by running base path". The Greensboro Record. p. 21. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Hass, Bill; Pluto, Terry (April 27, 1978). "A&T Baseball Report". The Greensboro Record. p. 17. Retrieved April 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.