University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Christopher Brown 1974 - Skiing
Chris Brown, a native of Waterbury Center, Vt. and 1989 UVM Hall of Fame inductee, was one of the first All-American skiers for the Catamounts and one of the athletes who helped build the foundation for what is now one of the most successful ski programs in the nation.
A first-team All-American selection in 1973, he served as co-captain for the Catamounts his senior year. Brown finished third in the alpine combined event (downhill and slalom) at the 1973 NCAA Ski Championships held at Middlebury College. He was also the Eastern downhill champion in 1973, the last year that U.S. "A" team members could compete in the NCAA's. Ironically, his future brother-in-law (Olympian Bob Cochran) was the NCAA downhill champion that season. Brown is married to Cochran's sister, Olympian Marilyn, who also was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.
Brown lettered in skiing for four years and competed in all alpine events at every major carnival from 1971-75. In 1972, he was the last UVM skier to compete in three events (slalom, giant slalom and downhill) at the Eastern Championships. Like most of UVM's outstanding skiers, Brown participated in more than collegiate carnivals. He was also the 1974 U.S. Ski Association Eastern downhill champion and fifth in the giant slalom at the 1973 Argentine National Championships. After graduating in 1975, Brown assisted head ski coach Chip LaCasse as the men's alpine coach. He also assisted the men's soccer coach, Paul Reinhardt, and coached the men's "B" tennis team. Soon after graduating from UVM, Brown's academic interest turned to engineering and he earned master's ('79) and a Ph. D. ('83) degrees in mechanical engineering at Vermont.
Active with community and campus projects, Brown was a member in the Acacia fraternity, served as a selectman in Hinesburg and was a member of UVM's Graduate College Executive Committee, the Graduate Student Advisory Committee and the George D. Aiken Lecture Series Committee.
In 1983, Brown, his wife and family, moved to Lausanne, Switzerland where they continued to ski competitively.
In collaboration with researchers at UVM, California-Berkeley and in Switzerland, Brown has authored several technical papers on skiing, as well as on material science and manufacturing.
