End of An Incredible Football Journey

             John "Monkey" Brown 

                       1940 - 2008 

                       - A Tribute O       1             1940 - 11112008f- Two- Soccer Legends

Saturday, December 06, 2008

By Tewroh-Wehtoe Sungbeh

   He never said much on the football field, but his legs did all the talking. He did not say much at all off the field, either, but his name – one of the most recognizable names in the history of Liberian football told the story about the man and his game.

     The game he played his entire life, the exploitation and challenges John “Monkey” Brown and his colleagues faced during their career can easily be a script made for the big screen, football enthusiasts all over Liberia would be elated to see because of the man who gave it all to make Liberians smile.

     John “Monkey” Brown, who died November 25, in Charlotte, North Carolina was Liberia’s best defender and arguably Africa’s best when he played the game, and after he retired was one of the most admired, recognized and imitated soccer star to ever play the game in Liberia.

     Liberians admired his brilliance on the field and also admired his easygoing demeanor off the field. With all that he has contributed to sports, however, John “Monkey” Brown and his colleagues never got the recognition and financial reward they justly deserve for their contribution to sports years after they left the game.

     Like his legendary colleagues who shared the football field with him during some of the nation’s classic and memorable local and international matches, Monkey Brown was a force to reckon with and was as competitive as the youngest player on the field, often playing hurt and sick for the love of the game.

     At a time when most players retired early because of injuries or old age, John “Monkey” Brown was “Mr. Longevity.” He played football for almost two decades always playing toe-to-toe with guys young enough to be his sons or grandsons, and played the game with passion and determination to win.

     John “Monkey” Brown evoked fear in opposing teams because of his penalty-kick prowess and acrobatic defensive moves. Opposing teams also had difficulty penetrating his end of the field on a good day, while his presence on the penalty line exudes confidence in his teammates, who were always confident he would tie the score on a given day or put the team over the top to win the game. 

     John “Monkey” Brown was not only a star player and central defender for the Liberian Lone Star national team, he was also a central defender for Mighty Barrolle, former coach and assistant coach of Mighty Barrolle, and represented his native Sinoe County to the annual football county league games, which he always anticipated because he was able to give back to his people in that part of Liberia.

     Had he played the game today the way he did fearlessly decades ago when he was in his prime playing with such intensity and awesome athleticism, John “Monkey” Brown, most definitely would have being recruited to be a star defender for a major international club. As we all know, he never had the opportunity to sign a contract, and did not get a major endorsement during his playing days, either.

     During decades of playing football under successive Liberian presidents, however, Monkey Brown, the “old man” answered the call to play for the Liberian National Lone Star football team during international matches under the guise of patriotism only to be exploited and forgotten completely.

     A fellow once told me the best thing that ever happened to some of the former football stars was for them to leave Liberia and live abroad, because “at least when they are living abroad, they can work and earn an income as compare to living in Liberia where they are unemployed, poor, are exploited, not respected, forgotten and never recognized for their contributions to the nation and the game,” he said.

     John “Monkey” Brown was never a rich man but a good man who worked hard to make us smile, and also made us proud to be Liberians at a time when there wasn’t a reason to be proud, especially in those dark days when manipulation and lies were used to get players to play for their country to nurse the bloated ego of the president, as football players were forced to play sick or hurt until they could no longer play.

     At the end of it all, some players retired into poverty, while others, notably Wannie-Bo Toe died in his prime from injuries he sustained while playing for his country. Boe-Toe died over three decades ago and completely forgotten also.

     As a child growing up in 1960s New Kru Town, John “Monkey” Brown was my “Liberian Idol,” and like many kids of that era, I emulated him and called myself playing like him when kids gathered to play football in New Kru Town’s sandy neighborhoods.

      John “Monkey” Brown was also the “Liberia Idol” of many Liberian kids who wanted to play like him or be like him, which was impossible because there was only one John “Monkey” Brown – the gentle giant whose humble beginning, imposing nature, quiet courage and longevity on the football field was an inspiration to football fans in that football-crazed country. Monkey Brown will be buried in Charlotte, North Carolina, December 6.

     His wife, Julia Madea Brown and their six children survived him.

May his soul rest in peace.