Educator. Coach. Pastor. Father and grandfather. Prison evangelist. Community servant. The Rev. Abe Brown is one of Tampa's last surviving icons from the days before people of color had rights. Some of his peers were more vocal in their leadership — the late Rev. Leon Lowry and Bob Gilder, to name two. Brown, meanwhile, quietly influenced thousands of lives and change in this community. It is only fitting that his biblical name means "father of many nations." "He's the property of history. Our history," says Tampa's poet laureate, James Tokley. "He is the coach of men, of the community and of the hopeless." At the end of the year, Brown, now 80, retires from one job so he can plunge into another. Although he has certainly earned the right to enjoy some time off, that's just not his nature. Because wherever there's work that needs to be done, there is Abe Brown. ...more

December 23, 2007

Coach wasn't putting up with anything from Al Barnes. The teenager knew that when he saw Abe Brown on the porch, talking to his mama. ...more

December 23, 2007

From the minute the Pasco football coaching job opened, there was plenty of speculation about who would be the next coach of the most talked-about program in Pasco County. ...more

December 20, 2007

The Sickles volleyball program hadn't advanced past the first round of the region tournament since 2004, but on Wednesday, the Gryphons, ranked No. 5 in the latest Class 6A state poll, got over that hump, defeating visiting Sarasota 25-21, 25-23, 25-16 to advance to the Class 6A-Region 2 semifinals. ...more

November 1, 2007

Everybody has one of these games in them. There's just one problem with that. When you're in the situation the Bucs are in, you can't afford to have one of these games. ...more

October 21, 2007

The Devil Rays have always been about promises, promises - not to mention a brighter tomorrow, better days ahead, and a future that will be here in a year or two once the kids are ready. There's a reason for keeping their eyes forward, of course. Talking about tomorrow means you have a built-in excuse for losing today. ...more

September 28, 2007

A day later, Bucs coach Jon Gruden hadn't changed his mind. Despite winning 24-3 on Sunday, despite being 2-1 and despite being tied for the top spot in the NFC South division, he still wasn't satisfied. ...more

September 25, 2007