A selfless attitude, upbeat personality and willingness to do anything for the team are the traits that defined former Barbe High football and baseball player Hunter Brown.

Brown died Monday after experiencing a medical emergency as he left his dormitory for class at the Air Force Academy, where he played as an offensive lineman for the Falcons. He was 21 years old.

At Barbe, the 6-foot-1, 285-pound Brown was a dominant and physical player on the field but made his mark with intangibles such as leadership and work ethic.

“He was a special young man,” Barbe head football coach Mike Cutrera said. “If you wanted to design a football player, you could use Hunter as the template. As good a football player as he was, he was a better person. That’s a credit to his parents, they raised him the right way. If you have a son, you would want him to emulate Hunter. If you had a daughter, you’d want her to date Hunter. That’s the type of person he was. He was a special person who meant a lot to us.”

Cutrera said Brown was a guiding light on the field and in the locker room.

“You knew what you were going to get from Hunter,” he said. “You knew he was going to give his best every day, every snap. He played from the snap to the whistle. He played the right way. He was the kind of person that made those around him better.

“He was a leader, a quiet leader, but if something had to be said, he didn’t mind standing up and saying it. His teammates really respected him.”

Brown earned All-Southwest Louisiana honors in football and chose to continue a family tradition of military service, committing to the Air Force Academy in the summer before his final year at Barbe, where he graduated in 2020.

At the Air Force Academy, he was a sophomore studying management and French, and helped the Falcons to winning seasons each of the past two years.

Barbe baseball head coach Glenn Cecchini said Brown was popular with teammates.

“He was selfless and always thought of others ahead of himself,” Cecchini said. “When he wasn’t playing he was always encouraging others and giving teammates hope. He was always kind and lovable. He was a big teddy bear. He was really smart. He was a guy who was all about the team.”

Brown’s biggest moment on the baseball diamond was hitting a walk-off home run to clinch a playoff quarterfinal series against Live Oak, sending the Bucs to the state championship tournament.

“He was always smiling, I can still see his face,” Cecchini said. “Every single day he was happy. He was extremely coachable. He would do whatever it took to win, an ultimate teammate. It was always ‘we before me’ with him.”

Brennan Bonsall, a baseball teammate and friend of Brown’s, said Hunter made sure everyone on the team was in good spirits.

“Always talking positive, keeping everybody up,” Bonsall said. “And can’t ever forget the big walk-off to send us to Sulphur for the state tournament.”

Bonsall said Brown kept the same demeanor away from the field.

“Couldn’t ask for a better friend,” he said. “If he was mad about something, you would never know from the outside. If you ever need a laugh, he was the one to provide it. Always smiling, always laughing, just always happy.”