When Brush High School principal Marinise Harris received a text from South-Euclid-Lyndhurst superintendent Dr. Dominick A. Kaple that her school was selected for the Browns' 18th field installation project, she was thrilled. Harris remembers hearing the roar from the locker room when head coach Ricky Powers broke the news to the Brush High School football team.
"It was a really exciting moment because I knew what the impact would be for our students and South Euclid and Lyndhurst community," Harris said.
On Aug. 21, the Browns helped host a pregame field dedication ceremony at Brush High School's season opening game against Euclid. The ceremony celebrated the new field installation at Korb Field, which will provide Brush with an updated playing surface and the surrounding community an area to use. The installation is part of the Browns' Field Projects initiative, which promotes investment into local youth and high school football.
"We want to make a difference in the community," Chief Administrator Officer and General Counsel Ted Tywang said during the ceremony. "And these field projects are one of our favorite and most impactful community initiatives."
The Browns' Field Projects initiative began in 2016 and works to install high-quality synthetic turf fields at schools across Northeast Ohio, courtesy of the Haslam and Johnson families as well as Browns Give Back. The Brush High School field installation marks the 18th since the program started 10 years ago.
The Browns broke ground in May, installing a ForeverLawn high-quality synthetic turf field in association with Ohio CAT. Installing the new field highlights the Browns' focus on providing greater access to quality play surfaces — helping to grow football across Northeast Ohio — which helps young athletes immensely.
"As a former player, I can tell you that facilities like this make a difference," former Browns offensive lineman Garrett Gilkey said. "A great field gives young athletes a safe place to compete."
While the installation gives Brush a new playing surface for football, the field will also provide benefits to the surrounding community. The South Euclid-Lyndhurst City School District has been a part of the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network since the 2023-24 school year. The Network's goal is to decrease chronic absenteeism, partnering with over 190 districts and impacting around 588,000 students in Ohio.
The new field will work to get kids excited about attending school by serving as an "outdoor classroom" that supports extracurricular activities. These activities promote school attendance, engagement and personal growth, aligning with the Browns' objective of supporting youth football, education and community programs.
"This field specifically is used not only by the high school, or boys tackle or girl's high school flag, but it will also used for a lot of the youth programs within the area," Browns Director of Football Pathways Hannah Lee said. "So, allowing it not only to be for the school itself but also the surrounding community just continues to show the importance of why these projects impact more than just the schools."
The speakers and other members of the Brush High School community participated in a ribbon cutting to complete the field dedication ceremony.
Harris reflected on the moment, noting that the partnership with the Browns for a new field at Brush came at the perfect time.
"We've always had a sense of pride," Harris said. "And it comes at a great moment, we're celebrating our 100th year, and with a new field, it all comes together. This is a great moment (and) a great facility."
The game between Brush and Euclid was also the first of the Browns' High School Game of the Week program, presented by Ohio CAT and in association with Howard Hanna and ForeverLawn. The winning team for each HSGOTW receives $3,000 for their programs and to decide each matchup, fans can vote at Clevelandbrowns.com. Since the program's debut there have been over eight million votes submitted.
To learn more about the Browns Field Projects initiative, visit clevelandbrowns.com/youthfootball and follow on Instagram @BrownsGiveBack.
