Malcolm Brown has long understood the concept of giving more, has grasped the idea of greater good. As the grandson of one of the first black paratroopers and son of a 20-year FDNY veteran — who watched his father spend day after day clearing rubble from Ground Zero after the attacks of 9/11 — life made sure he knew.
In four months, Brown will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army, starting the military phase of his life in field artillery. But Saturday in Philadelphia will be the final hurrah of the athletic phase of his life, as Army’s senior running back from Bay Shore, L.I., tries to get his first win over rival Navy.
“I think obviously this institution and its mission makes a lot of sense in the Brown household,’’ Army coach Rich Ellerson said. “They get it.’’
If not for his father, Roscoe, Brown — who is averaging 7.1 yards per carry — wouldn’t have ended up at Army. Just months before Sept. 11, 2001, the elder Brown was transferred from his firehouse in Brooklyn to one in Queens. And on 9/11, five members of Brooklyn’s Engine 214/Ladder 111 gave their lives at the World Trade Center.
“I’d transferred recently before,’’ said Roscoe, a first responder after 9/11 who has since retired as a lieutenant. “You’re happy to be alive, but devastated people you worked with closely [died]. You wonder how you escaped tragedy. You have mixed emotions. I was just happy to be able to come home to my family that night, but deeply saddened that people I loved gave the ultimate.’’
Roscoe spent much of the next few years cleaning up Ground Zero. And a 10-year-old Malcolm watched his father return from those long days searching for his friends’ remains, days that were mentally, physically and emotionally taxing.
“He worked countless hours, all night and all day cleaning up the rubble from the attacks. He’d come back smelling like debris at 2 or 3 in the morning,’’ Malcolm said. “I’d see his dedication and the people he served with helping out. That just really showed me life is more than just yourself and doing things to improve your status. It’s more about helping others out and leaving your mark on the world.’’
Brown, 5-foot-11, 181 pounds, has been determined to leave his own mark.
He ran for a school-record 21 touchdowns as a senior to lead Islip High School to a Long Island championship to attract the attention of schools like Hofstra and Stony Brook. But despite his grandfather Ceasar serving in the 82nd Airborne, it wasn’t until former Army assistant coach John Misciagna came on a recruiting trip that Brown’s eyes opened to the possibilities of West Point.
“That’s when it all started. My eyes opened up. In my visit, I loved the atmosphere, everything this place was about. I knew it was for me,’’ said Malcolm, who went on to a versatile career at West Point.
He had a key role in the Black Knights’ 2009 Armed Forces Bowl win over SMU. He has played running back, receiver and return man. His four touchdowns this year have all come within the last five games he has played in a strong finish.
“He’s one of our best guys when he’s touching the ball,’’ Ellerson said. “We’re pitching him the ball, throwing him the ball, handing him the ball, having to block. You ask those [slot backs] to be a lot of things.’’
Ellerson hasn’t asked Brown to return kicks since Oct. 16, 2010, when Rutgers’ Eric LeGrand was paralyzed trying to tackle him on a return. LeGrand fractured his C3 and C4 vertebrae and was paralyzed from the neck down in an event that left Malcolm emotionally shaken.
“Working in a disaster-type field that I did, sometimes people don’t need you to tell them how to feel or think, but just to listen,’’ Roscoe Brown said. “Malcolm’s always been very intuitive and sensitive, quiet but confident. But he’s been influenced by a mother (LoriAnn) that’s extremely faith-based, and he’s really tapped into his mother’s teachings.’’
In a testament to the character of both, Brown and LeGrand have formed an unlikely bond since that day.
“He’s an inspirational guy. We’ve grown off that [day],’’ Brown said. “We’ve managed to stay in contact after that. … I wouldn’t even call it a tragedy for him, because he’s so [upbeat]. He believes everything happens for a reason. It’s an inspiration to see a guy who can persevere through such a tragic moment, and we’ve come together.’’
“Malcolm’s a great guy,” LeGrand said. “We’ve become friends. Everything that we’ve been through together, I can’t say enough about him. He’s going to go out there and serve our country and there’s not a better man to do it.’’
Before he does, Brown will have Saturday’s Army-Navy game, one last chance to beat the Midshipmen before they enter into their hazardous careers — a realization driven home as part of everyday life at the Point, where the names of graduates who have fallen in the line of duty are announced over the loudspeaker at the dining hall.
“One thing I’ve tried to impress on him is when you lead men, sometimes your hardest job is to keep them safe. That’s your first priority,’’ the elder Brown said. “That’s a lesson we both learned on 9/11.”
brian.lewis@nypost.com