About Inductee

A native of Madison County, Cedric Brownlee -- a running back on offense and linebacker on defense --was one of Johnson Highs first football stars shortly after the school opened in the early 1970s. He was named to the All-City Defensive team in 1975-76, was the Defensive Player of the year in 1976-77 and was picked as the schools Most Outstanding Athlete in 1976-77. He was selected to The Huntsville Times All-City defensive team in 1975-77 and played in the Alabama High School Athletic Associations All-Star game in Tuscaloosa. Brownlee then played football at Jacksonville State, where he led the team in rushing yards in 1979-80 and was named the Gamecocks Most Valuable Player and Most Outstanding Running Back in 1980-81. He signed a football contract as a free agent with the New York Giants in 1981. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he coached at Johnson, working with the freshman football team and the baseball team. According to Brownlee, his drive to succeed came primarily from three individuals. The first was my high school football coach, Max Burleson, he said. Coach Burleson taught me the value of pushing yourself up to and through your limits. People oftentimes never realize just how hard they can work or how much they can endure unless they have someone to push them. Coach Burleson provided that extra push to me and my teammates every day at practice, and as a result I was able to achieve the football scholarship I had always wanted. The second individual who really influenced me was my college football coach, Jim Fuller. Coach Fuller helped me to understand the value of teamwork. He always preached that we had to stick together and sacrifice for one another, not just on the field but in life as well. He always believed in us as a team and as individuals, and he was always there for me even in my darkest times. I never wanted to let him down. The last and most important person in his life, Brownlee said, was his father, Willie Brownlee. He taught me the most important lesson of all, which is to make it in life, a man has to have a strong work ethic, said Cedric. Although he wasnt an overly educated man, he was able to make a good life for himself and his family, just by getting up every day and working harder than the next man. I can vividly remember seeing him come home from work and being so tired he couldnt even make it to the bed. Hed just go to sleep in a chair in the living room. But every morning when the sun came up, he was up, ready to get back out there and keep making a way for his family. That taught me that no matter what challenges lie in front of you, any problem can be solved if you set your mind to it and dont give up until your goal is accomplished. Cedric Brownlee is now retired from Federal Express and B&J Landscaping and Excavation Company. He and his wife, Vicki Acklin Brownlee, have three children: Jamie, Brian and Joi Brownlee.