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Longtime Parkview baseball head coach, Chan Brown, made waves around the Georgia high school baseball world over the offseason as Brown left the Panthers to take on a new challenge as the new head baseball coach of the Gainesville Red Elephants.
Brown led a successful program at Parkview for the last 21 seasons which included 15 region titles, six state championships and three national championships as Brown had the Panthers rolling throughout his long tenure with the program.
The longtime Panthers head coach took over an already successful baseball program that was run by former Parkview coach Hugh Buchanan who led the program to three state championship victories, once in 1996 and back-to-back state championships in 2001 and 2002 before his retirement.
In his 21 seasons with the program, Brown had a 579-173 record, ultimately creating a high school baseball powerhouse.
In Brown’s 21 seasons at Parkview, the program saw 17 former Panthers get drafted into the MLB including current Atlanta Braves first baseman, Matt Olson.
For his efforts while coaching at Parkview, Brown has received multiple accolades for his success such as National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association, Baseball America, Perfect Game and USA Today. Along with being named Coach of the Year in different seasons, Brown has earned other awards such as Region Coach of the Year 14 times, as well as being named the MaxPreps Coach of the Decade in 2020.
Brown is taking over a Gainesville baseball program that made the postseason last year for the first time since 2018, the same season that saw the Red Elephants last record a winning record as Gainesville finished 22-11 overall seven seasons ago.
The former Parkview head coach is taking over a program in Gainesville that has won seven baseball state championships including 1949, 1978, a three-peat in 1996, 1997 and 1998 as well as back-to-back state championships in 2001 and 2002 as Brown looks to bring the Red Elephants back to glory.
Brown is replacing former Gainesville baseball head coaches Cris Carpenter and Micah Owings as he becomes the third different head coach of the Red Elephants baseball program in the last three years.
MLB Players drafted under Chan Brown at Parkview:
Name, Graduation Year, Where they were drafted
Colin Houck, 2023, New York Mets
Ryan Spikes, 2021, Philadelphia Phillies
Pas Ferreras, 2020, Houston Astros
Logan Cerny, 2019, Philadelphia Phillies
Ryne Inman, 2015, Seattle Mariners
Chris Vann, 2014, Washington Nationals
Isiah Gilliam, 2014, New York Yankees,
Mac Marshall, 2014, San Francisco Giants
Jarrett Freeland, 2013, Cincinnati Reds
Josh Hart, 2013, Baltimore Orioles, Miami Marlins
Matt Olson, 2012, Oakland Athletics, Atlanta Braves
Zach Cone, 2009, Texas Rangers
Brandon Jacobs, 2009, Boston Red Sox
K.D. Kang, 2006, Tampa Bay Rays
Stephen McCray, 2006, Chicago White Sox
Jarrett Coker, 2005, Chicago White Sox
Anthony Carter, 2004, Boston Red Sox
Tim Gustafson, 2003, Atlanta Braves