SPORTS
A Mother’s Day to remember
![](https://bowienewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Brashear-Story.jpg)
It was a happy Mother’s Day for Bowie resident Jan Browning and her family.
Her daughter Tiffany Egenbeacher surprised Browning and her mom with the autograph of Browning’s father, Bobbie Brashear, which was collected more than 70 years ago when he played basketball at Rice University.
“When I originally started looking, it’s because I wanted to surprise my own mother. I was disappointed when I couldn’t find it so it was kind of funny when my daughter found it to give to me,” Browning said.
What culminated on May 10 was a couple of months of good fortune and coincidences.
Back in 2005 Browning’s mother, Verna Mae Brashear, gifted her a book about famous University of California, Los Angeles men’s basketball coach John Wooden called, “The Wizard of Westwood.” Her mother gave it to her because it referenced Verna Mae’s brother, Hollis Johnson, who personally knew Wooden.
Browning admits to never reading the book, but its significance would come out during April of this year once she and her mother started going through her father’s things.
Bobbie passed away in 2017. He was a part of the Jackrabbit basketball program’s first state title in 1951 before playing at Arlington State College and Rice University.
That led to him coaching for some time at local schools Bowie, Saint Jo, Montague and Bellevue, as well as Kincaid in Houston.
While at Rice, the 1953-54 team won the South Western Conference tie-breaker against Texas to qualify for the NCAA playoffs, the equivalent of today’s Sweet Sixteen round in the tournament. During his time at Rice, a 16-year-old boy named Dwight Chapin sent Brashear a letter asking to send him his autograph.
Browning was curious what happened to the young Chapin and to see if he still had her father’s autograph. After looking online, she found out Chapin was a prominent autograph collector of that time period. Research also found he co-authored the book Verna Mae had given her 15 years before.
Her family helped her track down Chapin who is still alive and lives in California. He informed her he had to downsize his autograph collection during the years and sold his 1950s’ college collection.
While tickled at the connection they shared, he was not sure where the autograph would be now. Browning looked on eBay, but came up empty.
Thankfully her daughter picked up the search and was able to find it and surprise both her mother and grandmother on Mother’s Day.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
SPORTS
Big crowd attends Bowie Sports Association Awards night
![](https://bowienewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/backs-of-boys-scaled.jpg)
Nearly 600 youngsters signed up for this season of youth baseball sports through the BSA. The group celebrated with awards this past week and introduction of all its teams. See all the awards and photos from the night in the mid-week Bowie News. (Photos by Barbara Green)
![](https://bowienewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/cute-girls-1024x684.jpg)
![](https://bowienewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/close-up-rings-1024x684.jpg)
SPORTS
World gets ready for 2024 Summer Olympics
![](https://bowienewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/rings.jpg)
The 2024 Summer Olympics is just a few weeks away taking place in Paris. The opening ceremonies will be July 26 and are planned to be unique as they take place along the Seine River that flows through Paris. Thomas Bach prepared this op-ed to welcome the world to Paris.
By Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee
The Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 is only days away. The excitement gripping this nation is palpable.
As this unique festival of sport draws closer, we all are feeling that France and the French people are ready to welcome the world’s best athletes with the hospitality and passion for sport for which they are famous all around the world.
Already millions of people have greeted the Olympic flame on its journey around France with a huge wave of enthusiasm. All of us are looking forward to an unforgettable celebration of Olympic sport and French culture in the coming weeks.
Read the full story in the mid-week sports in your Bowie News.
SPORTS
Firecracker 5K welcomes 100 runners on July 4th
![](https://bowienewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/start-big-group.jpg)
Saint Jo’s Firecracker 5K welcomed 100 runners for its 16th year on July 4th.
According to runsignup.com, Old Jo’s Firecracker 5K saw 100 runners of all ages register to kick off in downtown Saint Jo.
Brayden Willett, 14, Nocona, was the top male finisher with a time of 19:02.6. Sarah Rainey, 35, Saint Jo, was the top female finisher with 21:47.1.
In the male nine and under division, I. Miller, nine, Muenster, repeated his first place win from 2023 with at time of 34:52.8. E. Thomas, eight, no town listed, also repeated her win with a time of 31:58.5.
Emry Raney-Cavnar, 14, Ardmore, OK, won the male 10-14 group and E. Christensen, 11, Decatur, took the female race. In the male 15-19 division Luke Gehrig, 17, Muenster, won, while Sophia Christensen, 15, Decatur, took the ladies’ title.
See all the results and more photos in the weekend Bowie News.
Special appreciation to Jennifer Gaston Panther Photography for use of her photos.
![](https://bowienewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Brayden-Willett-overall-winner-1024x682.jpg)
![](https://bowienewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Sarah-Raney-overall-winner-female-1-1024x682.jpg)
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