Councilors Remember 'Medford Icon' Brian Branson

MEDFORD, MA — City councilors on Tuesday mourned the passing of "Medford icon" Brian "Branny" Branson, who died Jan. 27 after a battle with cancer. He was 55 years old.

Branson, a lifelong Medford resident, was a member of the Mustang Hall of Fame and dedicated community volunteer. Beginning in high school, he was an assistant coach for the summer Babe Ruth baseball teams the Meagher Club and the Vining Club and served as team manager for the Medford High School hockey team, according to his obituary.

"In his senior year of high school, he received the Unsung Hero student athlete award for outstanding desire and dedication towards all sports," his obituary states. "He also received the Ray Romano student athlete award which is presented for showing courage, desire, pride and determination…all attributes that he exhibited daily."

After high school, Branson continued his involvement in sports and became an umpire. He was a member of the Eastern Massachusetts Baseball Umpire Association and received the Umpire Presidential Award in 2019 for his achievements and contributions.

"Brian is what Medford Mustang pride and heart is all about," City Councilor George Scarpelli said. "He fought a courageous battle with cancer, and anybody who came across Brian in the middle of his darkest days, you would never know that he was battling this illness."

Branson was honored in 2010 with induction into the Medford Mustangs Hall of Fame. More recently, the athletics department named an award after him, the Brian Branson Award, which is given to someone who exhibits excellence both on and off the field.

"This is a man who bled the blue and white all the time," Councilor Richard Caraviello said. "Anything for the community, he was there."

Branson was remembered at Tuesday's meeting as "the first person to volunteer, donate, especially when it came to kids" and someone whose "memory will never be forgotten because he left that impression on everybody who crossed his path."

"We're saying goodbye to another Medford icon," Scarpelli said.

The city council held a moment of silence for Branson and voted unanimously to send its condolences to his family.

Read the full obituary for Brian Branson here.