Oct. 2, 2002

WEST POINT, N.Y. - When Macharia Brown competed in the 1999 Pride Bowl; butterflies filled his stomach as he gazed upon the thousands of fans cheering for the Army Black Knights.

This was a whole new experience for Brown. He never played high school sports; in fact his only real football experience had been developed on the streets of the Bronx, and now he was faced with the challenge of performing under pressure.

Ask a cadet why he or she chose to attend West Point, and the standard reply is because the cadet wanted a challenge. Macharia Brown is one of these cadets and has received what he's wanted.

Brown always knew that life was going to place him into unfamiliar situations, which would force him to perform at his very best. From the first moment that Brown suited up for Army's Sprint Football team three years ago, he has overcome challenges of all shapes and sizes. He has conquered these tests of mettle in the classroom, on the football field and in basic training; and when Brown marches back into the Garden State this October, he'll no longer be another nervous rookie surveying the crowd from the sidelines. Instead he'll be leading the Black Knights' offense for another gridiron battle against Navy.

All Army-Navy contests are worthwhile extravaganzas. The games are transformed into wars, and the rivalry between the two service academies is one of the most intense in the world of sports. However, the meeting between the Black Knights and Midshipmen on Oct. 6 will be of greater importance. On this day, both teams will play for more than the win, they'll be playing for Project Pride.

Project Pride is a non-profit organization that raises money for underprivileged children in Newark. In 23 years, this volunteer-based foundation has raised more than $3 million for these kids in order to pursue a higher education. Since the organization's inception, more than 900 recipients have collected scholarship money in order to attend some of the finest colleges and universities in the nation.

Jerry Izenberg, a veteran sportswriter for the Newark Star-Ledger, is the proud founder of Project Pride. In all his years of running this organization, he has sent students off to Harvard, Columbia and many other prestigious institutions, but he anticipates the day when he sends a student to West Point.

"It would be a dream come true to see one of these kids attend West Point," says Izenberg. "When coach (Gene) McIntyre invited some of the children up to the Academy a few years ago, many of them didn't even know that it even existed, but after seeing all the history, and training with the (sprint football) team, they were all very impressed."

Brown didn't need a trip to West Point to become impressed with the Academy; all it took was a walk to the local Army recruiter's office. Hidden among the dozens of brochures was a small, yet colorful pamphlet describing all that West Point had to offer.

Growing up in a neighborhood that is quite similar to those of the youngsters from Newark, money was a concern for Brown and his family when it came time to apply for a college. Luckily for Brown, West Point was able to sell itself to him without creating a financial burden.

"I always wanted to serve in the Army," recalls Brown. "I was a little G.I. Joe as a kid, and here was a place where I could develop physically, mentally and militarily. There was no doubt in my mind that this is where I wanted to go."

Who would expect that one small brochure could have such an effect. Brown, by his own admission, was totally ignorant of West Point as a youngster. He didn't know exactly where West Point was located, and he certainly didn't know of the raucous rivalry that existed between Army and Navy.

Today that rivalry is burned into his heart.

"The level of the rivalry between Army and Navy is unparalleled," states Brown. "It doesn't matter if its volleyball, baseball or sprint football, we're all pushing each other to the limit. I've never experienced that kind of intensity."

The bad news is that there are only six games on Army's sprint football schedule. The good news is that two of those contests are versus Navy, and as the team settles into training camp, Navy is at the forefront of everyone's mind.

Every week and every day...every time the Black Knights run sprints...every time they lift weights, Navy is continually the focal point of the season.

Brown knows that the team can't look past the Princeton's, Penn's and Cornell's that also inhabit its schedule, but it's hard not anticipating the two battles with Navy after what happened to Army on its home turf last November.

With 34 seconds remaining in regulation, Army kicker Kurt Cheeseman nailed a 26-yard field goal to send the game into overtime, but the Cadets' jubilation was cut short when Navy quarterback Chris Ashinhurst and his Midshipmen completed a five-play 25-yard scoring drive and captured a 17-10 lead.

On their possession, the Black Knights appeared to have secured excellent field position when running back Aaron Scheinberg dashed down the sideline to the Navy 6-yard line. The crowd at Shea Stadium cheered with delight as their man sprinted towards the end zone, but their mood was quickly soured with one toss of a yellow flag.

"Holding - on the offense," stated the referee, and the huge gain quickly turned into a tremendous loss. The ball was spotted back at the 31-yard line; where quarterback Steve McKeon was later sacked for minus-8 yards. On 3rd-and-24, McKeon threw a Hail Mary that was intercepted by Navy cornerback Jamie Glines and sealed the win for the Mids.

Every game with Navy is an emotional roller coaster, but this one could have outweighed all the other losses combined. Not only did the Mids leave West Point with a victory, they also took the Collegiate Sprint Football league title.

Brown, a wide receiver, watched from the sidelines that night and felt sickened that he couldn't help his team out on the field. After being relegated to the bench for most of his freshman and sophomore seasons, he finally earned a starting job going into his junior year. His time as starter was short-lived, however, as he snapped his ankle and fibula in the third game of the season against Princeton.

"Macharia was off to a real good start last season," recalls McIntyre. "He put together a great game in the Anthracite Bowl against Navy. He provided some crushing blocks and caught a touchdown pass, which he snatched away from the defender. He was dominant out on the edge."

The start of the 2002 sprint football season is just a few weeks away and Brown is nearly 100 percent. He has never been the greatest football player, nor has he seen much playing time, but that didn't stop his teammates from selecting him as their offensive team captain. Brown was surprised that he was chosen to lead this crew, but he was honored nonetheless, as it was a culmination of his life's goals.

"I really sucked when I first started," claims Brown. "Coach McIntyre makes it a point to tell me how much he thought I was worth back then. Football was something that didn't come easily; I definitely had to work at it."

"After never getting a chance to play high school football and never really taking a hit before I joined the team, it's truly a great feeling to be named team captain. This whole experience of playing sprint football has really prepared me for the Army. To be able to see where I need to be on the field, and performing in adverse situations is something that will prepare me as an officer."

One of Brown's outstanding attributes that may have earned him the captaincy is his sense of loyalty. He's been loyal to the team that has supported him, loyal to the coach that taught him the game and loyal to the family that raised him.

While in high school, his mother called upon him to take care of his baby sister, who was 4 years old at the time. Everyday while his younger brother Jelani was running off to football practice at Truman High School, Brown walked back home to baby-sit. He could have been upset at this situation, but Brown realized that only one of them could play football, plus he figures his mom saw better babysitting qualities in him anyway.

Despite the divergent paths they took during their high school years, everything has turned out for the best for the Brown family. Cadet Brown is a few months away from graduation while Jelani continues to pursue a Law degree at John Jay College in New York City.

Before Brown is able to grab that diploma in May 2003, he still has a few more challenges and goals to meet. Living by the expression, "giving it all I've got", Brown is convinced that he and his teammates can go undefeated this season, beat Navy twice and reclaim the Sprint Football Championship.

"It's a short and simple motto, but it runs deep within me," says Brown. "I believe in it 100 percent.

"As a team we're focused on the goals of commitment, tenacity and discipline. If everyone involved concentrates on these targets, we will win it all."

When Macharia Brown leads his team into the 2002 Pride Bowl, it will be the first time that the two rival service academies have met in Newark, and Izenberg couldn't be more thrilled.

"The Pride Bowl has been going on for 24 years, but the game we've always wanted was Army versus Navy. This will be an intense game, which will benefit both the players and fans."

It will be the culmination of a long-time dream by Izenberg, but more importantly, it will provide Macharia Brown another opportunity to perform in a sport that he's grown to love, alongside teammates who respect him for how he approaches the game.