"I was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1951. As a child, I was considered small in size so it didn't take long for me to discover that to become bigger and stronger, I would have to lift weights and eat lots of food. It was with this knowledge - combined with the fact that my father thought his sons should be the best at everything - that my quest began.

​Many people used to know me as Sherman or "Tank" Brown due to my prior career in the NFL. But, for the first half of my life in Mississippi I was Shannon M. Brown. I always loved sports and football as a kid. I attended Jim Hill High School and went on to Hinds Jr. College. I then transferred to Jackson State College (JSU) where I played defensive back and running back positions. After college I went into the NFL and played pro football for three and a half years with the Detroit Lions.

After a back injury I left football and began a new career in the Army working as an infantryman, water purification specialist and Engineer with a bridge company. I learned a lot in those jobs and found that being fit and strong was a huge advantage.

Throughout my life, bodybuilding was always my dream so after footbal I began to train competitively. I won many titles throughout my bodybuilding career including Jr. Mr. Michigan, Mr. Jackson Mississippi, the Great Lakes Open and Mr. Western America, to name a few. I originally came to San Diego to work in the aerospace industry and stayed on at General Dynamics for ten years working in several different interesting departments.

Over the years, my large family has been an ongoing source of strength and happiness. I have ten brothers and sisters and it was my younger brother Allen who first brought me to Stern's. Allen is also an accomplished body builder and trains at Stern's to this day.

I also have my own family of five children of whom I'm very proud. My son Loynie (pronounced Lonnie) is a personal trainer, Abdullah works with Tyson foods, Justin is a dog trainer (among other things) and my daughter Chelsea is a gymnast and Fitness bodybuilding competitor and my other daughter Megan is studying to become an anesthesiologist. They inspire me to stay in shape!