Corwin Brown
Encyclopedia
Corwin Brown is an American football
coach who was most recently the defensive backs coach for the New England Patriots
of the National Football League
. Following an eight-year career in the NFL as a safety from 1993
–2000
, Brown worked as an assistant coach for Virginia
, the New York Jets
, and Notre Dame
before joining the Patriots.
in Chicago, Brown attended the University of Michigan
, where he played football as a defensive back. He was a two year starter, co-captain of the 1992 team, and All-Big 10
in 1992.
by the New England Patriots
. He started a career-high 12 games at safety as a rookie, recording 56 tackles, also a career-high. He went on to play three more seasons for the Patriots and head coach Bill Parcells
(and in 1996
, secondary coach Bill Belichick
), starting only two games over that span and picking up 38 tackles.
in 1997
, starting one game over two seasons and recording 29 tackles and one interception.
. After starting one game in 1999
, Brown started four games in 2000
, recording a half sack, two interceptions, and 21 tackles. He retired following the season at age 30.
at the University of Virginia
from 2001 through 2003.
under head coach Herman Edwards
and spent three years with the team, including one under then-new head coach and former Patriots assistant Eric Mangini
in 2006
.
and outside linebacker
s coach for the University of Notre Dame
Fighting Irish under head coach and former Patriots assistant Charlie Weis
. In 2008, Brown shifted his positional responsibilities to defensive backs. He was named Associate Head Coach in 2009 while serving as co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. Weis was fired by Notre Dame after the season and Brown did not return to the team.
with safeties. Brown was not retained after one season.
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...
coach who was most recently the defensive backs coach for the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. Following an eight-year career in the NFL as a safety from 1993
1993 NFL season
The 1993 NFL season was the 74th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time in league history, all NFL teams played their 16-game schedule over a span of 18 weeks. After the success of expanding the regular season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990, the league hoped this new...
–2000
2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
, Brown worked as an assistant coach for Virginia
Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
before joining the Patriots.
College career
After graduating from Julian High SchoolJulian High School (Chicago, Illinois)
Percy L. Julian High School , located in Chicago, Illinois is a public four-year high school. It's part of the Chicago Public Schools.-History:...
in Chicago, Brown attended the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, where he played football as a defensive back. He was a two year starter, co-captain of the 1992 team, and All-Big 10
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
in 1992.
New England Patriots
Brown was drafted in the fourth round (110th overall) in the 1993 NFL Draft1993 NFL Draft
The 1993 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 25-26, 1993...
by the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. He started a career-high 12 games at safety as a rookie, recording 56 tackles, also a career-high. He went on to play three more seasons for the Patriots and head coach Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
(and in 1996
1996 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots participated in the National Football League's 1996 season, the team's 37th in football. The Patriots finished with a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished first in the AFC East division...
, secondary coach Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
), starting only two games over that span and picking up 38 tackles.
New York Jets
Brown followed Parcells and Belichick to the New York JetsNew York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1997
1997 New York Jets season
The 1997 New York Jets season began with the team trying to improve upon its league-worst and franchise-worst 1–15 record from 1996. Sparked by the arrival of head coach Bill Parcells, who replaced Rich Kotite, and was coming off a Super Bowl berth the previous season, the Jets improved to 9–7, but...
, starting one game over two seasons and recording 29 tackles and one interception.
Detroit Lions
The final two years of Brown's career were spent with the Detroit LionsDetroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
. After starting one game in 1999
1999 Detroit Lions season
The 1999 Detroit Lions season was their 70th in the league. The team improved upon their previous season's output of 5–11 and qualified for the playoffs, where they lost to the Washington Redskins in the Wild Card round...
, Brown started four games in 2000
2000 Detroit Lions season
The 2000 Detroit Lions season was the team's 71st season in the National Football League. The Lions' home attendance was 606,716 while their attendance on the road was 523,383 for a total attendance of 1,130,099. Bobby Ross resigned after the ninth game of the season and was replaced by Gary...
, recording a half sack, two interceptions, and 21 tackles. He retired following the season at age 30.
Virginia
Brown worked as a special teams coach under former Patriots and Jets assistant coach Al GrohAl Groh
Al Groh is the defensive coordinator of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team. He is also a former head coach of the University of Virginia football team, a former head coach of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team and the former head coach of the New York Jets of the NFL...
at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
from 2001 through 2003.
New York Jets
Brown joined the Jets as a defensive backs coach in 20042004 New York Jets season
The 2004 New York Jets season saw the team try to improve on its 6–10 2003 record. The Jets started the season by winning their first five games, which was a franchise record. They ultimately finished 10–6, and clinched the fifth seed in the playoffs, reaching the postseason for the third time in...
under head coach Herman Edwards
Herman Edwards
Herman "Herm" Edwards, Jr. is an American football analyst who most recently coached in the National Football League for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was fired from this position on January 23, 2009. Since then, he has been hired as a football analyst for ESPN...
and spent three years with the team, including one under then-new head coach and former Patriots assistant Eric Mangini
Eric Mangini
Eric Mangini is the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets of the National Football League and current NFL analyst for ESPN.-College:...
in 2006
2006 New York Jets season
The 2006 New York Jets season began with the team trying to improve on their 4–12 record in 2005. The season marked the first for rookie head coach Eric Mangini, who replaced Herman Edwards after the latter left the Jets to coach the Kansas City Chiefs...
.
Notre Dame
On January 19, 2007, Brown was named the defensive coordinatorDefensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
and outside linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
s coach for the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
Fighting Irish under head coach and former Patriots assistant Charlie Weis
Charlie Weis
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Weis is an American football coach. He currently serves as offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators. For five years, from December 2004 through 2009, he was the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame...
. In 2008, Brown shifted his positional responsibilities to defensive backs. He was named Associate Head Coach in 2009 while serving as co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. Weis was fired by Notre Dame after the season and Brown did not return to the team.
New England Patriots
Following his tenure at Notre Dame, Bill Belichick hired Brown as a defensive backs coach in January 2010 to help incumbent defensive backs coach Josh BoyerJosh Boyer
Josh Boyer is an American football coach in the National Football League, currently serving as defensive backs coach for the New England Patriots...
with safeties. Brown was not retained after one season.