The Tennessean is embarking on a season-long journey with Pearl-Cohn High School to document its 2026 TSSAA football season.
The plan is to give readers a window into the life of a public school program that for decades has been consistently among the best in Metro Nashville, with feature stories, documentary-style video, game highlights and plenty of photo galleries.
As we count down to the Firebirds' season opener against Montgomery Bell Academy on Aug. 21, here are some quick facts about Pearl-Cohn athletics.
Pearl-Cohn High School
Nickname: Firebirds
TSSAA enrollment (as of 2024): 524 students
When did Pearl-Cohn open?
Before we delve into Pearl-Cohn athletics, it's important to understand how the school came into existence in 1983. Pearl High was the first high school for Black students in Nashville, established in the early 1880s. It remained all-Black until 1971. Pearl was named after Joshua F. Pearl, Nashville's first public schools superintendent.
Cohn High School opened in 1936, having previously served as a junior high school since 1928. It was predominantly all-White, serving communities in west Nashville, while Pearl High drew from families in north Nashville. Cohn High was named after Corinne L. Cohn, an education advocate who was instrumental in the development of junior high schools in Nashville in the early 20th century.
A federally mandated school desegregation plan in Nashville resulted in the merger of the two schools in 1983.
Notable Pearl-Cohn athletes
Santonio Beard
Football
Running back (1994-98)
Beard was among The Tennessean's top 50 all-time best Nashville football players, finishing with more than 5,600 yards and 104 touchdowns as a three-year starter. He led Pearl-Cohn to two state titles (1996 and 1997) and was a two-time Mr. Football Back of the Year (1997, 1998). He went on to play at Alabama. Beard died in 2022.
Barion Brown
Football
Wide receiver (1998-2022)
Brown was a two-sport star at Pearl-Cohn, excelling at football and track and field. He captured the Tennessee Titans Class 4A Mr. Football award in 2021 and won eight total TSSAA track and field state titles, including five individually, during his time with the Firebirds. He was a sixth-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in the 2026 NFL Draft after a college career at Kentucky and LSU.
John Henderson
Football
Defensive lineman (1994-98)
Henderson anchored Pearl-Cohn's defense as it captured back-to-back state titles (1996-97). He was named Mr. Football Lineman of the Year in 1997 and the Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior, before going on to star with Tennessee football from 1998 to 2001. He was the ninth overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft and played 10 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars and then-Oakland Raiders.
Deaunte Mason
Football
Quarterback (2003-2007)
Mason threw for 2,375 yards as a senior and rushed for another 1,052 yards with 35 total touchdowns to capture the 2007 Mr. Football Back of the Year. He was a member of The Tennessean's very first Dandy Dozen in 2007 and signed with Kentucky, where he played for a season before finishing his college career at Alabama A&M.
Ron Slay
Basketball (1995-98)
Slay led the Firebirds to consecutive TSSAA Class 3A state tournaments (1997 and 1998) and was an all-state performer and Mr. Basketball runner-up before transferring to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia for his senior season in 1998-99. The Tennessean named Slay to its All-Decade 1990s boys basketball team, and he starred for four years at Tennessee, where he was named the 2003 SEC player of the year.
Keshawn Tarleton
Football (2019-2023)
Quarterback
Tarleton threw for 2,294 yards and 35 touchdowns with four interceptions and led the Firebirds to the state championship in 2023, when he won the 4A Mr. Football award; teammate Zeion Simpson-Smith also was a finalist that year.
LaShonda Teague
Basketball (1988-1992)
Teague was The Tennessean Metro AAA Player of the Year as a junior. She was a 6-foot swing player who averaged more than 20 points in three consecutive seasons. She hit 10 3-pointers in a game against Hillsboro as a senior. She signed with Tennessee State and was named to The Tennessean's 1990s All-Decade girls basketball team.
Pearl-Cohn's Hume Award streak
The William E. Hume Award, presented by Kiwanis Club of Nashville, has been a mainstay of the Nashville community. It is the highest football honor awarded by Metro Nashville Public Schools, given to a senior who is chosen based on total scoring by a committee that weighs academics, community involvement and on-field performance.
The past three winners have come from Pearl-Cohn: LaDamion Hunter (2025), Josh Sims (2024) and Grace’son Beach (2023). Pearl-Cohn has had a Hume Award winner six times in the past 12 years.
TSSAA football state championships
Football (3): 1996, 1997, 2023
Legendary Metro Nashville coach Maurice Fitzgerald is the architect of what is modern-day Pearl-Cohn football. He led the Firebirds to their first two state titles, then handed the reins to then-assistant coach Tony Brunetti in 2006. Brunetti has turned Pearl-Cohn into a statewide brand and consistent 4A state playoff participant. He has guided Pearl-Cohn to five state championship games, capturing the 2023 title with a 36-27 win over Upperman to complete a 15-0 season.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: From Ron Slay to Barion Brown. What to know about Pearl-Cohn athletics