The USC Trojans are grieving the death of Chris Brown, a former offensive lineman for the football program who was part of the 2016 Rose Bowl championship team and the 2017 Pac-12 championship roster. Brown died over the weekend at age 24.
Eric Sondheimer has covered high school sports in Southern California for 45 years, the last 24 at the Los Angeles Times. He gathered reactions from people who knew Chris Brown:
Brown, born April 26, 1996, was a well-liked 6-foot-4, 300-pound football player during his days at Loyola. His coach, Rick Pedroarias, called him “a great guy, a great young man. It’s shocking and sad.”
Tim Moscicki, the longtime athletic trainer at Loyola, said his son was friends with Brown at Loyola and USC. “It’s devastating,” he said.
Words are hard to come by in a time such as this. They’re inadequate in expressing the full degree of sadness which accompanies a life cut short before it had a chance to fully grow.
Chris Brown developed as a person and a football player at USC, a great story on its own terms. Unfortunately, this story wasn’t able to continue for many more chapters.
When words fail, pictures create a visible connection with a life and the imprint it made on the past.
Here are a few pictures from Chris Brown’s USC playing days. The photos in our library come mostly from games the Trojans played in the state of Arizona.
PROTECTING SAM DARNOLD
Oct 28, 2017; Tempe, AZ, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Chris Brown (77) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
KNOWING THE SCORE
Sep 29, 2018; Tucson, AZ, USA; Southern California Trojans offensive guard Chris Brown (77) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
EYES UPFIELD
Sep 29, 2018; Tucson, AZ, USA; Southern California Trojans offensive guard Chris Brown (77) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
READY FOR BATTLE
Sep 29, 2018; Tucson, AZ, USA; Southern California Trojans offensive guard Chris Brown (77) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
ON THE MOVE
Sep 29, 2018; Tucson, AZ, USA; Southern California Trojans center Toa Lobendahn (50) and offensive guard Chris Brown (77) block against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
TROJAN BROTHERHOOD
BOULDER, CO – NOVEMBER 11: Erik Krommenhoek #84 of the USC Trojans is congratulated by Chase McGrath #40 and Chris Brown #77 after scoring on a two point conversion against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field on November 11, 2017 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
FORWARD PUSH
Sep 29, 2018; Tucson, AZ, USA; Southern California Trojans offensive guard Chris Brown (77) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
STANDING TALL
Oct 28, 2017; Tempe, AZ, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Chris Brown (77) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
PUTTING IN THE WORK
Oct 28, 2017; Tempe, AZ, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Chris Brown (77) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
ALIJAH VERA-TUCKER CARRIES THE TORCH
Nov 10, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans center Toa Lobendahn (50), guard Chris Brown (77), and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (75) celebrate after a touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the California Golden Bears at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
