Chris Brown (American football)
Encyclopedia
Christopher Rejean Brown (born April 17, 1981, in Winfield, Illinois
) is an American football
running back
who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans
in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Colorado
.
in Naperville, Illinois
, rushing for 1,250 yards and 15 touchdown
s. He rushed for 2,300 yards and 30 touchdowns in his career at Naperville North, where he played with former Titans teammate and ex Tennessee Titans
wide receiver
Justin McCareins, as well as former Houston Texans defensive back
Glenn Earl
Junior College as a freshman and impressed then-Northwestern University
head coach
Gary Barnett
enough to be offered a scholarship
there as a running back
. But soon Barnett left Northwestern for the University of Colorado
, and incoming Northwestern coaches felt Brown was best suited as a receiver. He then transferred to Colorado, where Barnett provided him an opportunity to become one of the school's all-time leading rushers. Brown holds some other school records as well, including the most touchdowns in a game when he ran in six against Nebraska
in 2001 during his sophomore season. Brown had a successful year in 2002 also, as he had a shot at being a Heisman Trophy
candidate, but his hopes were derailed when a late-season injury caused him to miss 2 and a half games. To most Colorado fans' dismay, Brown elected to skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft
.
injury. Although being behind two other backs, Brown averaged 3.9 yards per carry on 56 carries totaling 221 yards, the Titans' team high for the 2003 season. He also performed very well in the playoffs.
At the beginning of the 2004 season
, Brown was promoted to starting
running back due to the absence of Eddie George
in the Titans' lineup. He had a strong start, and finished the season with 1,067 yards, but several injuries forced him to miss significant time and also affected his play. He led the NFL in Yards per carry in 2004.
In January 2005 successful surgery was performed on both of Brown's ankles. In 2005, Brown ran for 851 yards. Brown has been criticized in the past for running too upright and not running as powerfully as other backs his size. In 2006, the Titans drafted LenDale White
, a more traditional power runner. With the emergence of Travis Henry
, Brown had been deactivated for several games in the 2006 season
. Brown completed his contract with the Titans before leaving as a free agent to sign with the Houston Texans.
Brown rushed for a career high 175 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars
on September 9, 2007.
to a two-year deal worth $3.6 million and containing an $800,000 signing bonus. Brown played well for the Texans but made his only fumble of the season cost the team a chance to tie a game and force overtime late in the game. He also was intercepted on a halfback pass that was a poorly conceived play. Brown completed his two year contract with the Texans.
, fullback
formerly of the Chicago Rush
of the Arena Football League
. Chris has a younger sister named LaShawndra Brown who played Division III basketball, and now works in youth ministry at their home church in Naperville, IL. Chris has a 4-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter.
Winfield, Illinois
Winfield is an incorporated village located in Milton and Winfield Townships, DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,718 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 9,984 in 2008....
) is an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Colorado
Colorado Buffaloes football
The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,...
.
High school career
Brown was named Prep Football Report and Super Prep All-American, first-team All-State, and Daily Herald first-team All-Area as senior at Naperville North High SchoolNaperville North High School
Naperville North High School is a public four-year comprehensive high school located at the corner of Ogden Avenue and Mill Street in the northern-central part of Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States...
in Naperville, Illinois
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
, rushing for 1,250 yards and 15 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s. He rushed for 2,300 yards and 30 touchdowns in his career at Naperville North, where he played with former Titans teammate and ex Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Justin McCareins, as well as former Houston Texans defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
Glenn Earl
Glenn Earl
Glenn Earl is a former American football safety in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He grew up in Lisle, Illinois and attended Naperville North High School...
College career
Brown attended Fort Scott, KansasFort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States, south of Kansas City, on the Marmaton River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,087. It is the home of the Fort Scott National Historic Site and the Fort Scott National...
Junior College as a freshman and impressed then-Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Gary Barnett
Gary Barnett
Gary Barnett is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Fort Lewis College , Northwestern University , and the University of Colorado at Boulder , compiling a career college football record of 92–94–2...
enough to be offered a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
there as a running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
. But soon Barnett left Northwestern for the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, and incoming Northwestern coaches felt Brown was best suited as a receiver. He then transferred to Colorado, where Barnett provided him an opportunity to become one of the school's all-time leading rushers. Brown holds some other school records as well, including the most touchdowns in a game when he ran in six against Nebraska
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
in 2001 during his sophomore season. Brown had a successful year in 2002 also, as he had a shot at being a Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
candidate, but his hopes were derailed when a late-season injury caused him to miss 2 and a half games. To most Colorado fans' dismay, Brown elected to skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
.
Tennessee Titans
Brown was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the 3rd round of the 2003 NFL Draft, with the 93rd overall selection. As a rookie in 2003, Brown was not available to play during the preseason and five regular season games due to a hamstringHamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
injury. Although being behind two other backs, Brown averaged 3.9 yards per carry on 56 carries totaling 221 yards, the Titans' team high for the 2003 season. He also performed very well in the playoffs.
At the beginning of the 2004 season
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
, Brown was promoted to starting
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
running back due to the absence of Eddie George
Eddie George
Edward Nathan "Eddie" George, Jr. is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He played for the Tennessee Titans both in Tennessee and in Houston when the franchise was known as the Houston Oilers, and spent his final season with the Dallas Cowboys...
in the Titans' lineup. He had a strong start, and finished the season with 1,067 yards, but several injuries forced him to miss significant time and also affected his play. He led the NFL in Yards per carry in 2004.
In January 2005 successful surgery was performed on both of Brown's ankles. In 2005, Brown ran for 851 yards. Brown has been criticized in the past for running too upright and not running as powerfully as other backs his size. In 2006, the Titans drafted LenDale White
LenDale White
LenDale Anthony White is an American football running back. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Southern California....
, a more traditional power runner. With the emergence of Travis Henry
Travis Henry
Travis Deion Henry is a former American football running back for the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos. He was drafted by the Bills in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
, Brown had been deactivated for several games in the 2006 season
2006 Tennessee Titans season
The 2006 Tennessee Titans season began with the team trying to improve on their 4–12 record in 2005.-Offseason:In 2006, exciting news for the future came when in the 2006 NFL Draft, the Titans, with the third overall pick, chose Vince Young, star quarterback out of the University of Texas, and with...
. Brown completed his contract with the Titans before leaving as a free agent to sign with the Houston Texans.
Brown rushed for a career high 175 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on September 9, 2007.
Houston Texans
On March 13, 2008, Brown was signed by the Houston TexansHouston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
to a two-year deal worth $3.6 million and containing an $800,000 signing bonus. Brown played well for the Texans but made his only fumble of the season cost the team a chance to tie a game and force overtime late in the game. He also was intercepted on a halfback pass that was a poorly conceived play. Brown completed his two year contract with the Texans.
Personal
Brown is the younger brother of Levelle BrownLevelle Brown
Levelle Desean Brown is a former American professional football player. He was born in Winfield, Illinois. He is the older brother of Chris Brown, running back of the Houston Texans of the National Football League....
, fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
formerly of the Chicago Rush
Chicago Rush
The Chicago Rush is an arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. It is a member of the Central Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League. The team was founded in 2001 and is co-owned by Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame player and coach.The Rush have qualified for the...
of the Arena Football League
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
. Chris has a younger sister named LaShawndra Brown who played Division III basketball, and now works in youth ministry at their home church in Naperville, IL. Chris has a 4-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter.