Paul Brown Birthplace Committee

01/28/2025

Standing on the south 25-yard line at Ohio Stadium prior to the start of the 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes CFP National Champions Celebration on Jan. 26, 2025, I took the opportunity to grab a photo of the tribute to Coach Paul Brown on the Southwest Tower.
Brown was the first to win a National Championship at Ohio State and current coach Ryan Day is the fifth.
Between those two are Woody Hayes (five), Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer, each with one.
The legacy of coaching champions at Ohio State is both wide and deep.
Chiseled above the sign are the words "FOR STRENGTH."

10/21/2024

This great space was unveiled one year ago today!
That was a fantastic day, with dignitaries including Paul H. Brown, his wife Sofia and daughter Nancy, former Cincinnati Bengals GOAT Anthony Muñoz and former New England Patriots DE Garin Veris.
And the space — especially our statue of legendary coach — Massillon, Ohio State, Cleveland and Cincinnati — Paul E. Brown is very popular with visitors and townsfolk.
All in all, the Paul Brown Birthplace Committee hit it out of the ballpark (to mix up football and baseball metaphors)!!

06/21/2024

We're pleased to announce that the final pieces have been added to the "stadium wall" at the Paul Brown statue and park area at the front of Norwalk's Suhr Family Park on West Main Street.
Yesterday, Kevin Hipp of Franklin Monument installed the *real* helmets on the right-side wall, as we had originally planned for that space.
Sometimes in life, you just have to "make do, for now."
That came into play last autumn less than a week prior to the unveiling ceremony when we learned that the ceramic helmets wouldn't be ready in time.
These are quite a process to make — to craft them correctly — and the company with which Kevin works was very busy with post-pandemic work for gravestones and other memorials.
The two photos below show the new, planned-for helmets after installation on June 20, 2024.
Those of you who have followed our progress and/or visited the Paul Brown statue and park area realize that we had helmets on that wall all along.
They were made of vinyl of the type used for car wraps, billboards and other outdoor uses, and were stuck on the wall in lieu of the two-dimensional ceramic helmets now in place.
Kevin, with the expertise of local graphics guru Trevor Rood, came up with a lasting substitute that served well for the past 8 months. Many thanks to them for a "make do" that looked fine and got the job done when we needed a fix.
So, when you have time, stop by and check out the "new" helmets on the right-side wall. While not as brightly colored, these do present the more 'vintage' look we wanted to achieve, which is very nice, indeed.

04/26/2024

ARBOR DAY, April 26, 2024, was celebrated in Norwalk by the Tree Board planting a Red Sunset maple tree in honor of Paul Brown.
The board selected this cultivar for its brilliant orange-to-red fall foliage, reminiscent of Bengals' and Browns' signature orange tones.
The sapling was planted in front of the splash pad at Suhr Family Park on West Main Street, which is also the location of the Paul Brown Park area with the statue, Ohio Historical Marker and other elements.
Attending the annual city ceremony were Tree Board members Judy Emmons, Mary Hinckley and Tom Root, along with Mayor Dave Light, who read an Arbor Day proclamation honoring Paul Brown.

04/09/2024

The April 8, 2024 total eclipse was lots of fun here in Norwalk, and we're glad to have seen so many people visiting our Paul Brown statue, Ohio Historical Marker and all the elements that make up our pocket park on West Main Street.
And yes, we have a sense of humor — but this is a gentle reminder that all parts of the Paul Brown area uptown were very expensive and thus not to be regarded lightly.
So please keep in mind that the statue is not a 'thing' such as a concrete goose to be decorated for the seasons or other reasons.
We appreciate your understanding and your respect.

02/10/2024

Today our Paul Brown Park and Statue hosted its first wedding —
caught on a cellphone camera by a passer-by.
The bride is sitting on the bench on the left, next to the flower-girl, with the ring-bearer standing nearby.
The groom is to the right in front of the other bench, with the photographer on the far right.
Best wishes for many decades of happiness together, newlyweds!!

11/08/2023

We received a very nice thank-you note from "the crew at Foghorn" today!
Foghorn Designs is a local Norwalk company offering superior design services across a broad spectrum of unique graphics, logos, signage, vehicle decals and wraps, plus embroidery and screen-printing services. And they likely do lots more — about which I know nothing but am equally sure of the end-product excellence.
When the PBBC needed four big signs at the main roadway entrances to Norwalk (declaring the city to be the birthplace of Paul Brown), we asked Trevor Rood and his crew for help, and they did a great job.
The Foghorn gang also produced the two "Paul Brown Way" street signs on the corners of West Main and Church streets and Seminary and Church streets.
If you have a project and need help with design and graphics, these local artists (geniuses, really) are ready to help!

10/28/2023

As Anthony Munoz mentioned in his speech at the statue unveiling, some folks are "old school" — with the subtext that's OK.
"Old school" turned up in my mailbox yesterday in the form of this handwritten thank-you note from legendary Paul Brown's grandson, Paul H. Brown. It's much appreciated, and the Committee is well-pleased to know that the Brown family enjoyed our event.

10/27/2023

"PB" is looking fine in today's morning sunshine ...

10/26/2023

In his role with the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Anthony Munoz often asks the same question. As the Chief Football Relationship officer for the hall of fame, Munoz goes to many events like the ceremony he attended in Norwalk, where a statue of Paul Brown was unveiled on October 21.

“When I meet people that are football fans, I ask if they are a football history fan. And the first person I mention if they’re not — I mention you have to look and see what Paul Brown gave to the game of football.”

Pro Football Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz said he owed a lot to Paul Brown for his legendary career as an offensive lineman

10/26/2023

From the start, Paul H. Brown admitted he didn’t know what to expect. As soon as the Cincinnati Bengals’ vice-president of player personnel arrived in Norwalk on Oct. 21, he realized what the event meant to the community. Along with his wife, Sofia, and daughter, Nancy, Paul H. Brown helped unveil a statue of Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Paul Brown in front of Suhr Park on West Main Street.

The Maple City left a big impresson on Paul H. Brown, the youngest grandson of legendary coach Paul Brown

10/26/2023

In his mind, Garin Veris almost “had to be” in Norwalk on Saturday. Born in 1963 in Chillicothe, Veris grew up about two hours east of Cincinnati when an NFL team started playing football in the Queen City in 1968.

“The Bengals were the first team I really identified with,” Veris said. “I was a kid growing up in southern Ohio and they were my life. Then when I was a little boy, they always called me little Leroy Kelly as a nickname — but I was a Bengals fan.”

Former NFL standout Garin Veris participated in a punt, pass and kick competition at a Bengals game; played against the team and helped unveil a Paul Brown marker on Oct. 21 in Norwalk