LONG-TIME FRESNO ST. D.C. LOSES FIGHT WITH CANCER

There’s sad news to report this morning as former Fresno State defensive coordinator Dan Brown has passed away after a two-year battle with brain cancer, multiple media outlets are reporting.Brown was just 50 years old."We lost a great friend and a great family man,” Fresno State head coach Pat Hill said in a statement released by the school."Danny had been with me from the start. He had amazing faith through the sickness and it’s so sad to see someone go generous and giving have to suffer so much. But he never once complained. He was an inspiration to anyone who ever had the privilege to meet him."Brown was diagnosed with cancer in 2007, but still coached all but one game that season. Experimental treatment and chemotherapy the summer before the ’07 season led to hope that he had beaten the disease, but it returned in the summer of 2008. Still, the assistant coach continued on the sidelines but was forced to retire at the end of last season.Brown is survived by his wife, Mindy, six children -- Korissa, Tara, Larry, Eric, Travis and Jordan -- and two grandchildren.Two of his sons, Eric and Travis, followed in their father’s Fresno State footsteps and are currently linebackers at the school.