Matthew “Prince” Brown: The NJ Savage Leader’s Lasting Legacy

by Corey Annan

If you know A7FL history, the NJ Savage has had a long tradition of championships, phenomenal players, and a culture predicated on work ethic and attitude. The man running the show for over a decade, Matthew “Prince” Brown, has built this program from the ground up and isn’t missing a beat as they head into their 11th season.

Before joining the NJ Savage, Prince didn’t have much experience on the gridiron. He was a late bloomer, only playing football his senior year of high school in 2002 at Newark East Side. Playing as a hybrid defensive end/linebacker, Prince helped lead his team to a conference championship.

After high school football, Prince and his friends formed a local football team in Newark nicknamed the “Wreckin’ Crew,” and went around the state playing pick-up games against other teams, going from park to park looking for competition. Around the same time, current A7FL Commissioner Ryan DePaul, an established backyard football player in Sayreville, NJ, was looking to create an organized street football league.

Ryan DePaul vs Wreckin Crew 2011

In 2006, DePaul created TownBeef, a 7-on-7 backyard-style football league with organized teams, coaches, referees, and management.  Prince jumped at the opportunity, joining the Townbeef league in 2007. He took street football seriously and wanted to compete on a bigger stage. The league eventually expanded to over 30 states across the country.

The success of Townbeef inspired DePaul to form the A7FL in 2014 as the league’s successor.

Prince believes that both the A7FL and Townbeef weeded out the casual players and kept the ones that were committed to the game.

“I’ve seen over 100 teams come and go,” Prince said. “Once you play football at this level, it’s different from a couple of guys who ‘kind of’ play football. This isn’t the league for them. But if you love the game of football and have a few screws loose, this is the game for you.”

Prince joined the Townbeef league in 2007 and continued to compete for the Wreckin’ Crew for 3 seasons before leaving to form the New Jersey Savage in 2010.

Matthew “Prince” Brown 2012 Championship Game vs Pennsylvania A-Team.

Unfortunately, the NJ Savage had a very inconsistent inaugural season. After a 6-0 start in the Spring 2010 season, they would lose their last four games, including a first-round loss. While a 6-4 record is a solid season for a first-year team, Prince knew the team needed a full rebuild if they were going to reach their potential. He decided to take more of a hands-on approach with the team from a coaching and managerial standpoint.

    “I still played, but my focus was that we were putting people in the right position [to be successful] and building a team culture,” Prince said. “When I made these adjustments to the team, some players no longer thought that this was the team for them because now you have someone telling you what to do. The ones who understood the vision stayed, and many of them were younger players.”

Two notable players who stayed with the team after the first season were the Bell brothers. Olajuwon and “Q” Bell became franchise pieces for the team that helped lay the foundation for future success.

The success didn’t take long to materialize: since their inaugural season, the NJ Savage have won four championships (2010, 2012, 2013, 2019) and have appeared in nine total championship games between both the Townbeef and A7FL.

While the NJ Savage fell short in the 2019 A7FL Final Four against the Pennsylvania Immortalz, the team has been in championship contention every year.

    “The house that I built would be nothing without the Bell brothers [Qaiym and Olajuwon],” Prince said. “They’ve been with the team since Day 1. They are the epitome of character guys.”

These “character” guys were also very talented football players. Although neither had starting roles in the team’s inaugural season, they quickly found the field more often in the following season and never looked back. Qaiym has twice won the league award for best wide receiver, and Qlajuwon has won the award for Townbeef’s best defensive player in 2012.

Both of these players were instrumental in setting the team’s culture and serving as leaders, and like many of Prince’s players, they truly believed in his vision.

    “A lot of guys bought into what Prince preached because he’s an honest standup guy who treated everyone like family,” Olajuwon said. “You know you have a lot of owners who just worry about what you can do on the field and not off. He never looked at you as a football player. Prince built his friendship off always with advice and support.”

While known for being an excellent coach/manager, Prince was an extremely talented player as well, competing for the Savage for over seven years. He primarily played fullback but was an extremely versatile player on the field and could play several different positions.

    “I have seen Prince play every position on offense and I can say he’s not the most flashy player, but he always got the job done,” Olajuwon said. “He’s scored game-winning touchdowns to get us into the playoffs at receiver. He’s won games at quarterback. Whatever you needed him to do, he did it.”

Recently, a notable member of the NJ Savage family tragically passed away. Offensive lineman Angel Oquendo, who played for the team for over a decade, lost a hard-fought battle with sarcoma cancer in March 2020. Oquendo was beloved by many, not only by his teammates but across the entire A7FL.

Prince was especially close with Oquendo and considered him the “backbone” of the team and a huge contributor to many of the team’s championship runs. While the team is still mourning his loss, Prince wants to make sure his memory lives on.

    “We are planning a ceremony for him during our first game, if not the first few weeks of the season,” Prince said. “His jersey will be honored and we plan on taking a snap during a game with one less player.”

Angel “Pocho” Oquendo

For Prince, the New Jersey Savage isn’t just a football team. It’s an organization of brothers who are all about improving themselves on and off the field.

“If you come through the doors to be a part of this organization, my concern is that you are an overall good person,” Prince said. “We have a family environment on this team where we don’t allow you to fail willingly. If you want to succeed in life, I’m never going to close that door on you.”