Courtney Brown (football)
Encyclopedia
Courtney Lanair Brown is a former defensive end
for the Cleveland Browns
& Denver Broncos
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Browns
first overall in the 2000 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Penn State
.
n linebacker
his senior year. He also contributed on offense
by playing tight end
. Brown earned Gatorade
Player-of-the-Year accolades in his senior year. He played in the Shrine Bowl. Brown was also an accomplished basketball
star playing in the North/South All-Star game. Throughout his high school career, he maintained a 4.0 GPA.
and Brandon Short
. In 1999, he was a consensus First-team All-American
and was named First-team All-Big Ten
. Brown earned the defensive player of the year award and defensive linemen of the year award in his senior year. He finished his college career with a NCAA record-breaking 33 sacks
and 70 tackles
for loss. He graduated, in 2000, from Penn State with a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Arts.
, making him the eleventh defensive lineman to be taken first overall in the 70-plus year history of the NFL Draft.
Brown had a productive rookie
season, recording 70 total tackles and 4.5 sacks. His second season was cut short due to injury, but Brown recorded 4.5 sacks in 5 games. Brown had problems staying healthy for the rest of his career, and struggled on the field. During 2002-2004, Brown only played in 26 games and recorded just 8 sacks.
. In his first season with the Broncos, Brown had 24 tackles and 2 sacks as a backup. Brown became a focal point on defense during the Broncos push through the playoffs
. Brown and the Broncos would come one game short of the Super Bowl
falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers
. After the departure of Trevor Pryce
, Brown was expected to take a bigger role in the Broncos' defense. On March 10, 2006, Brown signed a contract extension worth $745,000 with a signing bonus of $1.55 million.
However, Brown tore the anterior cruciate ligament
in his left knee during the 2006 preseason. He was placed on the team's injured reserve
for the entire 2006 season
. On March 19, 2007, Brown was cut by the team after failing a physical. In an article in The Rocky Mountain News, it was revealed Denver coach Mike Shanahan
suggested to Brown that he retire from football.
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
for the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
& Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
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...
. He was drafted by the Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
first overall in the 2000 NFL Draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
. 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 Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
.
Early years
Growing up in Alvin, SC, Brown attended Macedonia High School and was an All-AmericaAll-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n 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...
his senior year. He also contributed on offense
Offense (sports)
In sports, offense or offence , also known as attack, is the action of attacking or engaging an opposing team with the objective of scoring points or goals...
by playing tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
. Brown earned Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
Player-of-the-Year accolades in his senior year. He played in the Shrine Bowl. Brown was also an accomplished basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
star playing in the North/South All-Star game. Throughout his high school career, he maintained a 4.0 GPA.
College career
Courtney Brown attended Penn State from 1996-2000 where he was teammates with LaVar ArringtonLaVar Arrington
LaVar RaShad Arrington is a former American football linebacker of the National Football League. He was drafted second overall by the Washington Redskins in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State for coach Joe Paterno.A two-time All-American at Penn State, Arrington played...
and Brandon Short
Brandon Short
Brandon Darrell Short is a former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League...
. In 1999, he was a consensus First-team All-American
1999 College Football All-America Team
The 1999 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News, Pro Football Weekly Football News, and CNNSI.com.The College...
and was named First-team All-Big Ten
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...
. Brown earned the defensive player of the year award and defensive linemen of the year award in his senior year. He finished his college career with a NCAA record-breaking 33 sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
and 70 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
for loss. He graduated, in 2000, from Penn State with a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Arts.
Awards and honors
- 2× First-team All-Big TenBig Ten ConferenceThe 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...
(1998–1999) - Consensus First-team All-American1999 College Football All-America TeamThe 1999 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News, Pro Football Weekly Football News, and CNNSI.com.The College...
(1999) - Big Ten Lineman of the Year (1999)
- Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (1999)
- Bronko Nagurski TrophyBronko Nagurski TrophyThe Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been awarded annually since 1993 to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the membership of the Football Writers Association of America to be the best defensively in the National Collegiate Athletic Association; the award is presented by the Charlotte...
finalist (1999) - Chuck Bednarik AwardChuck Bednarik AwardThe Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive collegiate football player adjudged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States...
finalist (1999) - Lombardi AwardLombardi AwardThe Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
finalist (1999) - 1999 Outback Bowl1999 Outback BowlThe 1999 edition to the Outback Bowl featured the Kentucky Wildcats, and the Penn State Nittany Lions.Penn State entered the game with an 8-3 record and #22 ranking in the AP poll; the Nittany Lions had been ranked as high as #7 in the AP poll that season. Kentucky entered the game at 7-4,...
MVPMost Valuable PlayerIn sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
Pre-draft
At the Penn State pro day Brown measured 6'4⅞" 271-pounds, ran a 4.52 seconds forty-yard dash, had a vertical leap of 37" and bench-pressed 225 pounds 26 times.Cleveland Browns
Brown was drafted by the Browns first overall in the 2000 NFL Draft2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
, making him the eleventh defensive lineman to be taken first overall in the 70-plus year history of the NFL Draft.
Brown had a productive rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season, recording 70 total tackles and 4.5 sacks. His second season was cut short due to injury, but Brown recorded 4.5 sacks in 5 games. Brown had problems staying healthy for the rest of his career, and struggled on the field. During 2002-2004, Brown only played in 26 games and recorded just 8 sacks.
Denver Broncos
In the summer of 2005, Brown signed with the Denver BroncosDenver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. In his first season with the Broncos, Brown had 24 tackles and 2 sacks as a backup. Brown became a focal point on defense during the Broncos push through the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 2005-06
The National Football League playoffs for the 2005 season began on January 7, 2006 and led up to Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan....
. Brown and the Broncos would come one game short of the Super Bowl
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
. After the departure of Trevor Pryce
Trevor Pryce
Trevor W. Pryce is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. Pryce played college football at the University of Michigan before transferring to Clemson University...
, Brown was expected to take a bigger role in the Broncos' defense. On March 10, 2006, Brown signed a contract extension worth $745,000 with a signing bonus of $1.55 million.
However, Brown tore the anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
in his left knee during the 2006 preseason. He was placed on the team's injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
for the entire 2006 season
2006 Denver Broncos season
The 2006 Denver Broncos season began with the team trying to improve on their 13–3 record and make a return to the AFC Championship Game as they did in 2005.-Offseason:...
. On March 19, 2007, Brown was cut by the team after failing a physical. In an article in The Rocky Mountain News, it was revealed Denver coach Mike Shanahan
Mike Shanahan
Michael Edward "Mike" Shanahan is the 28th and current head coach of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. Shanahan also holds the title of Vice President of Football Operations with the Redskins, giving him full control over player personnel with the team. Shanahan previously...
suggested to Brown that he retire from football.