HALL OF FAME: Vicksburg native ‘at home’ in role as educator, administrator

Published 2:54 pm Monday, May 16, 2016

It’s been a memorable year for Sean Brewer, and there’s still more to come.

In December, the Redwood native and Warren Central graduate was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Brewer was a standout at WC and later Millsaps College. The former defensive tackle is the first Millsaps player and the third from Warren County to receive one of college football’s highest honors.

Last summer, Brewer was also elected to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. This July he’ll join his late father, Johnny, among the state’s sports immortals.

Email newsletter signup

Sign up for The Vicksburg Post's free newsletters

Check which newsletters you would like to receive
  • Vicksburg News: Sent daily at 5 am
  • Vicksburg Sports: Sent daily at 10 am
  • Vicksburg Living: Sent on 15th of each month

Johnny Brewer, who died in 2011, played football at Ole Miss and later for 10 seasons in the NFL. Sean Brewer played at Millsaps from 1989-92 and was a three-time NCAA Division III All-American.

“It’s humbling,” Brewer said. “Many times I questioned myself, ‘How do you fit with this group on this stage?’ But I’m proud to represent Millsaps and help the program gain some respect.”

Brewer’s athletic success, however, is part of a life long past. As much as he’s enjoyed reliving his former glory in recent months, it’s his day job as the principal at Madison’s Rosa Scott High School that he enjoys the most.

Brewer has been in that position since 2011, and has relished shaping young lives as much as he used to enjoy attacking opposing linemen. The 44-year-old was the National Association of Secondary School Administrators Assistant Principal of the Year in Mississippi in 2010, and has become one of the state’s most highly respected educators.

He’s tried to use both that platform and his hall of fame selection to help others.

Brewer and his wife Margaret have two children of their own and last year adopted a third, 14-year-old Sadie, who was one of Brewer’s students at Rosa Scott.

When the family went to New York for the College Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in December, they took with them 30 care packages they then distributed to homeless persons in the city.

Brewer never got the chance to play professional football like his father, nor did he get the opportunity to play for a Division I football program despite being an All-State player in high school. After graduating from Millsaps he went into teaching and coaching instead, and said that path has brought him more joy and peace than he could have ever imagined.

“I’m certainly at peace now. I was where I was supposed to be. Professionally, I’m where I’m supposed to be,” Brewer said. “There’s not a better job in the state than what I do. This is a wonderful place, where I am, to raise a family. The road traveled has led me to good places.”