By Kyle Coppola
Wildwood Coach Vincent Brown Sr. Builds Champions One Game at a Time
For Vincent Brown Sr., few experiences can match the adrenaline of walking through the tunnel at a college football national championship game.
As a member of the 2008 University of Florida football team, Brown remembers the surreal feeling of being part of history.
“There’s no way to describe it,” Brown says. “Walking out of that tunnel, seeing the lights flashing, playing in that game it’s something I’ll never forget.”
Brown grew up immersed in sports in Gainesville, where he competed at both Gainesville High and Eastside High. He developed a fierce competitive streak early, one that carried him to the Gators’ 2008 championship season under Urban Meyer.
While many remember him as an athlete, Brown has been making his mark as a coach, mentor, and teacher at Wildwood Middle High School since arriving in 2020.
Brown has become one of the most influential figures, shaping the culture of multiple athletic programs and helping redefine what it means to compete at Wildwood.
Brown first joined the school as a junior high basketball coach while also serving as a P.E. and weightlifting teacher. It didn’t take long for him to realize that changing the program meant starting with the players’ mentality.
“When I first started here, the biggest thing was changing kids’ mindsets,” Brown says. “They might get down a touchdown and you’d think the game was already over. I wanted them to believe that being down didn’t mean you were out. You could fight back. You could come back. That was the biggest hurdle.”
He drew on lessons from his own upbringing. His father Vernell Brown remains one of his greatest influences. “My father is still one of the hardest-working people I know,” Brown says. “I’ve always tried to take that same mentality and pass it down to the kids I coach.”
Brown’s first opportunity at Wildwood came with the junior varsity basketball team, but when the varsity girls’ basketball coach Ryan Harrison left, Brown was promoted to take over the program.
Last season, the Lady Wildcats went undefeated, posting a 25-0 record and winning the FHSAA girls’ rural basketball state championship. Brown says the title run was fueled by one of the most cohesive teams he has ever coached.
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“It was one of the most close-knit teams I’ve ever had,” Brown says. “The kids were special, and they bought into everything we preached. Trinidy Harris stepped up as a leader, and she was one of the big reasons we were able to do what we did. That girl is special and will do great things.”
Basketball success wasn’t the only mark Brown made at Wildwood. Three years ago, he helped launch a girls’ flag football program after seeing the enthusiasm students showed during a powder puff football game.
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“The girls had so much fun with that game that we decided to start the team,” Brown says. “From there, it just took off.”
The program quickly gained traction, and in 2024 the Wildcats made it all the way to the state championship game, finishing as runner-up after falling just one play short of the title. Combined with the girls’ basketball season, Brown’s teams compiled a staggering 38-1 record in the 2024-’25 school year.
Brown often credits his time at Florida — particularly under Urban Meyer — for shaping his his approach. “My philosophy is simple: be tough, dominate and compete,” Brown says. “That’s what I learned at UF, and I’ve taken it with me to Sumter County. There is no substitute for hard work. If you work hard, you can expect greatness.”
For Brown, the real mission goes beyond wins and losses. He sees Wildwood Middle High School as a place where character is shaped alongside athletic skill.
“This school has a great culture,” Brown says. “It’s a place where kids can compete in all aspects, whether on the field or in the classroom. We have people here who care about these young people and want them to be the best they can be.”
Away from coaching, Brown values time with his family. He enjoys working out, watching his kids compete and staying involved in their lives.
“Wins are great, championships are great,” Brown says. “But the biggest thing is helping these kids understand what they’re capable of. That’s what drives me.”
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Photos: Nicole Hamel
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
