Centralia basketball honors Ron Brown, who coached boys program for 58 years

Centralia High School honored a legend Saturday night in former boys basketball coach Ron Brown.

Former players and community members returned to the high school to celebrate Brown, including giving him a standing ovation during a halftime presentation of the Tigers’ win over Tumwater.

Brown, 83, initially took a leave of absence last January due to health concerns, and announced his retirement after the season concluded.

He coached for 58 years at Centralia, including the final 56 as the Tigers’ head coach.

He finished his career with 722 wins, which ranks third all-time in Washington. He began his head coaching career in 1961, winning two state championships in 1979 and 1981.

Brown coached multiple college-bound players, including eventual Washington Huskies and NBA star Detlef Schrempf — the only NBA player to ever come out of Lewis County.

The Tigers reached the state playoffs 16 times during Brown’s coaching career, including a trip to the Class 2A state regionals last season.

Brown was named Washington State Coach of the Year twice during his career and received the National Federation of Interscholastic Coaches Association’s distinguished service award for section eight — which represents six states — in 1999.

He was inducted into the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association hall of fame in 2006.

This story was originally published January 6, 2018 at 8:51 PM with the headline "Centralia basketball honors Ron Brown, who coached boys program for 58 years."