Anthony Brown, center, is legendary singer John Legend’s nephew and Legend normally watches him play at least one game per season. (Twitter Photo)
Former Kentucky defensive back Maurice Douglass had a suggestion for Kentucky recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow as soon as Springfield, Ohio four-star receiver Anthony Brown verbally committed to UK.
“I told Vince to get him out there to sing the national anthem,” Douglass said.
“Him” is not Brown but his uncle, legendary singer John Legend.
Legend was born John Roger Stephens in Springfield, Ohio, and is the eldest of four children. His sister is Brown’s mother.
Terrence Toliver, Brown’s neighbor and girls basketball coach at nearby Middletown High School, knows John Legend through playing sports with Legend’s two older brothers.
“The family is so talented. His other uncle, Vaughn, was a backup singer for Johnny for years. The oldest brother is Johnny’s barber,” Toliver said. “Anthony’s mom can sing, cook, sew. But she can really sing. His grandmother was a singer. His grandpa was one of the best artists in the country. The last song on his first album their whole family sang with him.”
Toliver says John Legend remains John Stevens to him and others in Springfield.
“We all watched him grow up. He’s still the same to us but I am guessing he will bring a lot of attention to Kentucky with Anthony going there,” Toliver said.
The 5-10, 170-pound Brown is rated as the eighth-best prospect in Ohio by Rivals.com in the 2023 recruiting class and nation’s 44th best receiver. He had 29 scholarship offers, including Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State and Cincinnati. Brown had 57 catches for 822 yards and seven touchdowns, including a 74-yard play, in 12 games last season. As a sophomore in 2020 he had 40 catches for 829 yards and nine scores in 10 games.
Legend has seen his nephew play each season at Springfield for Douglass and likely will be back again this year.
“Before I came to Springfield I was always a John Legend fan,” Douglass, who transferred to UK from junior college and then went on to play 11 years in the NFL, said. “I was here maybe two years and then found out he was from Springfield. Then I found out he was Anthony’s mom’s brother.”
“I remember one game we were getting ready to play. It was sunny outside and warm for the last game of the year. Then about 6:45 we got freezing rain. We had to let uncle John and his wife and child go into the press box. It’s kind of fun, though, and he’s always there if that family needs anything.
Douglass says UK fans should expect to see him at games, too, once his nephew becomes a Wildcat and that he’s seen in Springfield a lot more than some might think.
“His mom and dad still live here. He has brothers and sisters here. He comes around more than people probably think,” Douglass said. “There’s no doubt he’ll want to watch Anthony play at Kentucky. That’s why I told Vince he better start working on getting him to sing the national anthem now.”
