Kevin Brown

The 2024 campaign marked the 23^rd season on staff for Kevin Brown. His primary responsibility is working with the pole vaulters in addition to working with the high jumpers. Brown is also the program’s recruiting coordinator.

This past season, coached Channing Ferguson to a Second Team All-American appearance. In his first season with the Gamecocks, Ferguson finished as a bronze medalist at the SEC Indoor Championship in the high jump, earning a spot on the Second Team All-SEC. During the outdoor season, Brown coached Ferguson to an 11^th place finish in the high jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championship.

The 2022 season was a strong note for Brown, aiding in coaching 10 All-Americans, 13 SEC scorers and three NCAA Championship scorers. The women’s 4x400m indoor team of Mackenzie Dunmore, Stephanie Davis, Rachel Glenn and Aaliyah Pyatt claimed fourth in the SEC Championship with a time of 3:31.76. In the outdoor season, Davis, Dunmore, Angel Frank and Jahnile Registre captured fourth in the SEC Championship and followed that up with an All-American performance in the NCAA Championship after capturing fifth overall.

Brown received national attention the summer of 2022 as he was named the head coach of the USATF Men’s team for the NACAC Senior Championship.

A strong history with the relay and the pole vaulters, Brown also coached the 4x400m relay team in 2021 to a First Team All-American finish as Knowledge Omovoh, Rachel Glenn, Ashton Lindley and Stephanie Davis captured the awards. Meanwhile, Alysia Johnson, Lindley, Davis and Aaliyah Abrams finished sixth at the NCAA Outdoor Championship to also earn All-American status.

Brown helped South Carolina land one of the nation’s top recruiting classes heading into the 2019 season with the likes of Quincy Hall, winning the NCAA outdoor 400m hurdles championship as well as SEC 400m titles both indoors and outdoors. Fellow newcomer Wadeline Jonathas was the NCAA 400m champion outdoors and led the Gamecocks to the indoor national title in the 4x400m relay. Led by Brown’s strong recruiting class, the Gamecocks earned top-10 women’s finishes and top-20 men’s finishes at both NCAA Championships, the best combined results in well over a decade.

Brown has also coached student-athletes such as Ncincilili Titi who earned First Team All-America status and set a new outdoor school record in the 200m with a time of 20.00. Brown also led pole vaulters Armond Woodley and Hailey Sweatman. Woodley finished bronze in the SEC Championship in 2018 and both Woodley and Sweatman each qualified for the NCAA East Regional. Sweatman still holds the indoor pole vault record to this day after she cleared 4.35m in 2020.

Brown’s guidance in 2017 also helped Markus Leemet return from injury to break a 29-year-old school decathlon record at the 2017 SEC Championships, where he also earned the bronze medal. Leemet and Brown achieved a lot together, including setting the second-highest heptathlon score in addition to his decathlon lead.

In the summer of 2016, Brown served on the Team USA coaching staff at the NACAC U23 Championships in El Salvador. With Brown on staff, the Americans finished the meet with 62 medals, tops in the competition. That came on the heels of a song collegiate season, where Brown helped 11 different Gamecock sprinters and hurdlers finish the season with All-America laurels.

In 2011, Brown coached Lakya Brookins to a NCAA record in the 60-meter dash at 7.09. Brookins won the 2009 60m NCAA title as a sophomore and capped her senior indoor season with a second title in 2011 where she tied the record in the finals to win the championship. Marvin Reitze also reached national prominence under Brown as he was the runner up in the pole vault in the SEC and NCAA Indoor Championships. Reitze vaulted 18’1 to become the Penn Relay’s Pole Vault Champion and was named Field Event Athlete of the Meet. In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Reitze was also a NCAA Academic All-American.

Brown was named to the Team USA coaching staff for the 2003 Junior Pan American Games and served as an assistant coach during the competition in Barbados. In December 2002, he was voted to the Team USA staff by the USATF Coaches Championship Selection Committee, a group that selects national coaching staffs for International competition including the Pan American Games and Goodwill Games. Brown became the second USC assistant coach to serve as a part of a Team USA staff.

In 2001, Brown coached Jared Farabee and Chris Steddum to a one-two finish at the SEC Outdoor Championships. Steddum also qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships and set a school record with a height of 17′-8. Farabee posted a first place finish in the pole vault at the Penn Relays. In 2002, Steddum finished fourth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2002 and was named All-American. He also finished fourth at the SEC Indoor Championships, second at the SEC Outdoor Championships and eighth in the NCAA Indoor Championships in the pole vault, garnering All-American honors.

Prior to coming to South Carolina in 2000, Brown spent two years as assistant coach at the University of Akron. While at Akron, Brown assisted with the sprints on the track and field team and specialized as the team’s field events and jumps coach.

Brown began his coaching career in 1995 as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina, where he left as the most decorated vaulter in school history.

A pole vault All-American in 1994, Brown placed fourth for the Tar Heels at the NCAA meet, clearing 18-0 1/2. Brown was the only college vaulter in the state of North Carolina to clear 18-0 in 1994. He was an Atlantic Coast Conference scorer in five different events including the pole vault, long jump, triple jump, 4×400 and the 4×100. He still holds the UNC indoor and outdoor records in the pole vault.

A native of Richmond, Va., Brown attended Henrico High School, where he was the 1989 Virginia state high school champion in the pole vault. Brown also was a Junior Olympic Regional Champion while he lettered in football, wrestling and track and field.

A 1996 and 200 Olympic Trials qualifier, his personal best in the pole vault is 18-6.

Brown graduated from North Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts degree in recreational administration. He and his wife Ebonic have four children, Dymonic, Daija, Dorien and Daila, and reside in Columbia.