JULY 31, 2002
BEMIDJI, Minn. - Bemidji State University director of athletics Rick Goeb today announced the hiring of Chris Brown as the university’s head baseball coach. Brown, who has been on BSU’s staff the last two years as a graduate assistant, will fill an adjunct coaching position for BSU vacated by the retired Jim Grimm.

“Chris Brown has played an integral role in the success of our baseball team over the last two years,” Goeb said. “His hard work and dedication assisted in earning BSU the No. 1 seed in the 2002 NSIC Tournament. We are proud of our baseball team’s accomplishments and the success Jim Grimm brought to our program. After hearing the strong endorsement from the baseball team supporting coach Brown, I’m confident he will continue our winning tradition in baseball.”

Brown, a 2000 graduate of Jamestown College, has served as an assistant coach for the BSU program each of the last two seasons. He has participated in all aspects of running the BSU program and has served as recruiting coordinator. On the field, Brown has overseen BSU’s pitching staff and outfielders.

“I’m excited about this opportunity,” Brown said. “I think that it’ll be something that will be good for both the team and myself. I’m happy BSU has given me this opportunity. It’s good to step into a program where the cupboards aren’t bare; Coach Grimm left some talented players here. We’ll have quite a few guys coming back and have some new junior college transfers and freshmen coming in that should contribute. I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do.”

In 2002, Brown took part in one of the most successful seasons in recent BSU baseball history as he helped lead the Beavers to a 19-11 overall record and a 13-3 mark against Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference foes. BSU’s 13 wins against NSIC foes was just one shy of the school record, and its 13-3 record was good enough to earn the No. 1 seed and hosting honors for the 2002 NSIC Championship. Eight BSU players earned All-NSIC honors for 2002, including league Player of the Year Nate Olson.

Brown also assisted during BSU’s weather-ravaged 2001 campaign, as BSU lost more than two dozen games to weather and finished the season playing just 20 games.

Brown started his collegiate career at Minnesota, Duluth, missing the 1995-’96 season with a medical redshirt before transferring to Jamestown College in the fall of ‘96. Brown was a four-year varsity performer for the Jamestown pitching staff, captaining the squad as a senior in 2000.

Brown takes over the BSU program following the retirement of long-time head coach Jim Grimm. In seven seasons as BSU’s head coach, Grimm led the Beavers to 96 wins - the third-most by any coach in BSU history. He won the 1997 and 2002 NSIC Coach of the Year awards and won the NSIC Championship in 1997. In 2002, Grimm led BSU to a 19-11 overall record, 13-3 against NSIC foes, and won hosting honors for the NSIC Championship. During Grimm’s tenure, BSU averaged 13 wins per season - second-best amongst all BSU coaches who coached at least five years.

“I’ll certainly have big shoes to fill,” Brown said of the prospect of succeeding Grimm. “He was a part of the program during its heyday in the ‘80s. He came back and took over and has built the program up from nothing and turned it into a winning ballclub. I’ll just try to keep the tradition going that Coach Grimm has started here. How do you replace a guy like that? You don’t, really. You just try to find your niche and hope you don’t wreck anything that he’s created.”