Eddie Brown (safety)
Encyclopedia
Paul Edward Brown is a former American football
safety in the National Football League
for the Cleveland Browns
, the Washington Redskins
, and the Los Angeles Rams
. He played college football
at the University of Tennessee
.
Brown attended Marion County High School in Jasper and graduated in 1970. At the University of Tennessee, he was a safety and punt returner. In 1973, he was team captain
as a senior and was a first team All-America
selection by Football News.http://utsports.com/football/article.aspx?id=12180
Brown was drafted
by the Cleveland Browns in the eighth round of the 1974 NFL Draft
. He was traded to the Washington Redskins during the 1975 season, and was an All-Pro
and Pro Bowl
selection during the 1976
and 1977
seasons. In 1976, he led the National Football League in punt return yardage with 646 and was second in yards per return at 13.5. He also had a 71-yard return for a touchdown that season. In 1977, he led the NFL in punt returns with 57. On October 9, 1977
, his 11 punt returns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
set an NFL single-game record.
Traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 1978, Brown played that season and 1979 for the Rams.
In 1979 the Rams won the National Football Conference championship
and played the Pittsburgh Steelers
in Super Bowl XIV
on January 20, 1980. Brown had an interception
in the third quarter, but Pittsburgh won, 31-19.
Brown returned to professional football in 1983 with the Chicago Blitz
of the United States Football League
. He had six interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, that season http://www.oursportscentral.com/usfl/stat83chi.htm. He played for the USFL's Arizona Wranglers
in 1984 and had two interceptions http://www.oursportscentral.com/usfl/stat84az.htm.
Brown was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.http://www.tshf.net/inductees/brown.html
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...
safety in 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...
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...
, the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, and the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
. 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 the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
.
Brown attended Marion County High School in Jasper and graduated in 1970. At the University of Tennessee, he was a safety and punt returner. In 1973, he was team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
as a senior and was a first team All-America
All-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...
selection by Football News.http://utsports.com/football/article.aspx?id=12180
Brown was drafted
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...
by the Cleveland Browns in the eighth round of the 1974 NFL Draft
1974 NFL Draft
The 1974 National Football League Draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams was granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks....
. He was traded to the Washington Redskins during the 1975 season, and was an All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
and Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
selection during the 1976
1976 Washington Redskins season
The 1976 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 8-6 record from 1975.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Standings:-References:...
and 1977
1977 Washington Redskins season
The 1977 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 10-4 record from 1976.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-References:...
seasons. In 1976, he led the National Football League in punt return yardage with 646 and was second in yards per return at 13.5. He also had a 71-yard return for a touchdown that season. In 1977, he led the NFL in punt returns with 57. On October 9, 1977
1977 Washington Redskins season
The 1977 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 10-4 record from 1976.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-References:...
, his 11 punt returns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
set an NFL single-game record.
Traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 1978, Brown played that season and 1979 for the Rams.
In 1979 the Rams won the National Football Conference championship
NFC Championship Game
The National Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two semi-final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the...
and played 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...
in Super Bowl XIV
Super Bowl XIV
Super Bowl XIV was an American football game played on January 20, 1980 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1979 regular season...
on January 20, 1980. Brown had an interception
Interception (football)
An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...
in the third quarter, but Pittsburgh won, 31-19.
Brown returned to professional football in 1983 with the Chicago Blitz
Chicago Blitz
The Chicago Blitz were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.- Team history :...
of the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
. He had six interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, that season http://www.oursportscentral.com/usfl/stat83chi.htm. He played for the USFL's Arizona Wranglers
Arizona Wranglers
The Arizona Wranglers were a professional American Football team in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix.-Founding:...
in 1984 and had two interceptions http://www.oursportscentral.com/usfl/stat84az.htm.
Brown was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.http://www.tshf.net/inductees/brown.html