‘Really Big Shoes to Fill’

Born to a farming family in Whiteville, N.C., Brown enrolled at UMD after serving in the U.S. Army in London. After earning his bachelor’s degree in business, he worked as a management consultant for Booz, Allen and Hamilton before opening Bentley’s with two partners

“Let’s go to Bentley’s” became a popular refrain for Terps fans looking for a place to meet before or after games, as ESPN “SportsCenter” host Scott Van Pelt and former men’s basketball coach Gary Williams recalled at the Nov. 15 basketball game, where the unofficial mayor of College Park was recognized.

“John was one of the first people I’ve met [at UMD], and we became friends,” Williams told The Baltimore Sun. “You don’t replace a John Brown in your life. These people come around once in a while, and it’s not like you can say, ‘Okay, let me move on to the next friend.’ John was John.”

Sanders also developed a friendship with Brown in the 1990s. “Being at Bentley’s, he was like the center of the universe for a lot of people who’d come to Maryland,” he said. “He was very good to his employees. He’d always introduce you to the bartenders or the servers, and he always knew a story about them—where they came from, what their major was.”

NBC sportscaster Jimmy Roberts ’79 was one of Bentley’s original employees. Later, Brown danced at his wedding, and well after that, Roberts took up Brown on his request to give him one of his Emmy statues to display there.

Brown was a major supporter of Maryland Athletics. Former men’s basketball coach Gary Williams (left) was a close friend. At left, Brown shakes hands with Walt Williams '92, a Terps basketball star who became known as “The Wizard” in 11 seasons with the NBA. His jersey is framed on the wall behind them in this photograph signed by Gary Williams.

“The days and the nights I spent at Bentley’s and the relationships I made there are some of my fondest memories,” he told the Big Ten Network in 2018.

Brown welcomed everyone to Bentley’s—even those too young for a  drink. When Katie Brown was in graduate school, she’d drop off her baby boy every Wednesday afternoon for her father to look after. “He kept a pack and play and a big yoga ball in his office for Wednesdays when I’d bring Sam there to him,” she said. “He was the most fun ever.”

He was a longtime supporter of the university, serving on the board of directors for the Maryland Business School Alumni Chapter and on the board of governors for the University of Maryland Alumni Association. Brown also served as chair of the Maryland Stadium Authority, which oversaw development of the Camden Yards complex.

The two new scholarships highlight areas of Brown’s life that were special to him: first-generation college students and student-athletes. “My dad was the first in his family to graduate from college,” said Katie Brown. “UMD was super important to him, and making sure people had opportunities was really important to him. The ability to endow this scholarship for someone who might not be able to go to college is a way that we can honor his legacy.”