Miami native Antonio Brown is arguably the best receiver in the NFL, and yet he's not even having the most impressive season in his own family.
Antonio's dad Eddie Brown has quickly changed the fortunes of the Boyd H. Anderson High School football team. The Cobras from Lauderdale Lakes were 0-10 last season. They came into this year with a 13-game losing streak.
But after hiring Brown, they've gone from laughing stock to dominant district champs, winning seven straight games on the way to a 9-1 regular season record.
Boyd Anderson hosts powerhouse Miami Central in the regional quarterfinals on Friday. It's a remarkable turnaround for a team that was regularly getting blown out last season.
"I expected us to be better than they were last year," Coach Brown said. "But when you have 50 kids that totally commit and buy in to the philosophy I brought here, these are the results we've gotten from the kids just believing in everything that we came here to do."
Brown also said the change goes beyond football.
"We've shown them love, we've shown them we care about them. We've emphasized doing the right thing in the classroom," Brown explained. "It was about making good decisions in life, good decisions in the classroom, and once we started doing that, the field stuff just took care of itself."
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Brown said his team's overall GPA this year is 3.25.
Another important moment in the turnaround was a pre-season visit from Brown's son, Steelers star Antonio Brown.
"I would say it was our best practice, and I was like, 'Man, I wish I could get him to come out here everyday," laughed Brown. "They had a lot of questions for him, and he just told them to make sure they have goals, make sure they plan everything out that they want to do, and make sure they're working hard."
Antonio gave the players words of encouragement and even ran routes with them on the field.
It was a memorable experience for the high school kids, and now they're making Antonio, his dad and the entire community in Lauderdale Lakes proud.
