East Union High re-dedicated the new fitness center in honor of legendary football coach Jim Brown.

It was re-dedicated for “Gentleman Jim,” as he was often referred to, because the school’s previous weight room was also named after him back in 2006.

But according to Principal Eric Simoni, this one is “exactly what our students deserve – it’s a facility that we are all proud of,” he said at Friday’s special event.

The new Jim C. Brown Fitness Center consists of the brand-new small gym with a wrestling room and weight room that’s part of the recent campus modernization project that also includes the new two-story classroom / multi-media building, and the upgraded stadium.

Simoni displayed a smaller scale replica of the new plaque with Brown’s name at the special event – the permanent one is scheduled to arrive at a later date.

Longtime EU coach and teacher Rick Inderbitzin played and coached alongside Brown. “I treasured the time with him,” he said.

Brown, who passed away in 2011, was more than a coach. He was a mentor and father figure to many at the school throughout the years.

He arrived at East Union in 1981 from Manteca High.

“It was a big deal when he moved here (from MHS),” said Inderbitzen, who played quarterback for the Lancers and was a member of two of Brown’s three Valley Oak League championship teams.

Simoni was a standout basketball player during his days as an EU student and recalled being approached by the football coach to join his program. He didn’t but always had the utmost respect for Brown, who was at the school for 17 years before retiring in 1998.

In retirement, he remained active as a member of the California Interscholastic Federation and the City of Manteca’s Parks & Recreation committees.

Jim Carlos Brownw will always be remembered for conducting himself as a ‘gentleman and treating people with respect,” the school said in the dedication ceremony program.

As for the facility, Simoni added, “It’s all legit – It was a well, thought-out plan.”