University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Marilyn Cochran Brown 1979 - Skiing
The United States No. 1 women alpine skier in the late 60's and early 70's, this former Olympian also made a thunderous impact on the European circuit. A native of Richmond, Vt., Marilyn Cochran Brown, a 1989 UVM Hall of Fame inductee, was the first American women to win a leg of the prestigious World Cup Series capturing the giant slalom title in 1969. She also won a bronze medal in the combined event (giant slalom, slalom and downhill) at the 1970 World Championships in Val Gardena. In 1971 she became the first non-French skier to capture the French National Championships in combined, slalom and giant slalom. In recognition of her efforts in France - and the achievements of her sisters, Barbara Ann '78, Lindy '81 and brother, Bob '76 - they were invited to the White House in 1971 and a meeting with then President Richard M. Nixon.
A member of the 1972 Olympic squad (the year her sister, Barbara Ann, won a Gold Medal in the women's slalom), Cochran Brown was the very best in her sport for a long period of time. She continued to compete internationally until 1974 when she retired from international competition. Cochran Brown won her first U.S. Junior National Championship in 1966. In 1968, she won the U.S. National Championship, defeating Canada's Nancy Greene at the U.S. National Championships, two weeks after Greene had earned the Gold Medal at the Olympic Games. That year, Cochran Brown was also the first non-European to earn first seed points for the World Cup Race Series without skiing in Europe. In her first European World Cup races in 1969, she proved she earned the top seeding, finishing third and tenth in the two events.
Both Cochran Brown and her husband, Chris Brown, were assistant coaches at UVM. Marilyn was also the head women's coach at the University of New Hampshire for one season. Sports Illustrated selected Cochran Brown as one of the Top 50 Vermont athletes of the 20th Century. The magazine's editors composed a list of the "Top 50 Athletes" in each state in its December 27, 1999 issue to commemorate the millennium. Cochran Brown ranked 13th among the Top 50 Vermonters.
