Mike Brown file
Age: 31
High School: Plainfield (Ind.), Class of 2002
College: Bachelor's degree in sports administration and master's degree in business administration from Ball State University
Coaching history: 2006, student coach (offensive line) at Ball State; 2008, volunteer coach (linebackers) at Summit Country Day; 2009, scout at Summit Country Day; 2010, defensive coordinator at Summit Country Day; 2011-14, head coach at Summit Country Day (33-12 record)
Family: Wife Katie (they're expecting their first child, a boy, in early 2015)
The Carlisle High School football program has a new man at the top.
Mike Brown, who posted a 33-12 record at Summit Country Day and took the Silver Knights to the playoffs four times in the last four years, has accepted the head job at Carlisle.
“We spent a lot of time on this, and we feel very comfortable with Mr. Brown,” said Carlisle athletic director Mark Townsley, who received 52 applications for the post. “He’s a very knowledgeable and very organized person with a good personality. I think the kids are going to like him.”
Brown, 31, finished his student teaching this month while earning his teaching license in social studies for grades 7-12.
He will teach at Carlisle (the position has yet to be determined) and is expected to receive school-board approval Monday.
“My dream is to be a teacher and a coach in the same school,” Brown said. “With the road I’ve been on, to have an opportunity come open where the football and teaching piece fits together so nicely, I feel like it’s really meant to be.”
He lives in Hyde Park, but plans to move north. His wife Katie is from Centerville.
Brown played offensive guard at Ball State University and was a student coach there before moving into public relations and marketing. He started coaching at Summit in 2008.
“When I took the program over in 2011, I was still in the business world,” Brown said. “I realized I liked my job, but I felt like my calling was to work with kids, so that’s when I went back to get my teaching license and started taking classes.”
The Plainfield, Ind., native is looking forward to returning to a more rural setting in Carlisle.
“I was born in Brookville, Ind., and my mom’s side is farmers,” Brown said. “All of my Christmases and holidays were spent on the farm. The city’s OK, but I’m looking forward to being out in the country a little bit.”
He wants Carlisle to play tough, physical football on his watch.
“Offensively, I run the ball first,” Brown said. “Personnel will determine exactly how that gets done, but I want to control the football and win the turnovers, and establishing a run game is the priority in that. Defensively, the main objective is conversely to stop the run and cause turnovers.”
He is replacing Bill Jewell, who resigned after nine years at the helm. He’s the winningest coach (58-35) in school history.
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