The Clark Atlanta community is uplifting Clark alum and former NBA referee Tony Brown as he battles pancreatic cancer.
Tony Brown is a retired Delta employee and was an NBA referee for 20 years. According to Fox 5 News, he’s officiated over 1,071 regular season games, 35 playoff games, and several All-Star games, but on April 30, 2021, Tony was diagnosed with stage four Pancreatic Cancer.
Now in hospice care, Brown is not giving up the fight. He and his wife, Tina, who also graduated from Clark, are continuing to “fight in the spirit of giving.”
The Browns are working to raise money for an endowment for the Clark Atlanta Basketball program, making room for younger generations to attend the school and play. On October 1st, they launched a 10-day campaign to raise $100,000 for the endowment and currently have raised over $60,000.
“We are committed to raising the full endowment. We want student-athletes to have the opportunity to succeed at the HBCU that helped us on our road to fulfilling lives. I, along with our three wonderful children, look forward to being there Sunday for this incredible honor,” says Mrs. Brown.
Clark decided to honor Tony and Tina’s efforts to give back to their alma mater in the midst of their battle.
On October 16, The Browns were honored during the Clark Atlanta University Homecoming Basketball Game. Although Tony couldn’t attend physically, Tina and their children were there to be recognized
Earlier this month, the CAU community surprised Tony at the hospital with a team jersey signed by the entire Clark Atlanta Panthers men’s basketball team.
“In his physical, the cancer might be winning, but it’s the other part where we’re beating cancer, and this is one of those moments where we can say we’re beating cancer,” Mrs. Brown told Action 2 News.
“We believe that Tony Brown displays and embodies exactly what it is to be a Clark Atlanta alumnus,” said CAU head basketball coach Alfred Jordan. “Our school motto is find a way to make one. And while he didn’t get a chance to play basketball while he was at Clark, he still found a way to make sure basketball was a part of his life.”
The fund is still taking donations here or can be made by contacting the Attorney Mawuli Davis of Davis Bozeman Law Firm at 404-244-2004.
