Gilbert Brown
Encyclopedia
Gilbert Jesse Brown, is a former nose tackle who played for the Green Bay Packers
of the National Football League
(1993–99, 2001–03). Brown played 125 Packers games (103 starts) recording 292 tackles (186 solo) and seven sacks. Nicknamed "The Gravedigger," in honor of his celebratory dance following a thunderous tackle, Brown played in 15 Packers playoff games. He was a major contributor on strong defenses during the mid 1990s. His best season was 1996, when Green Bay won Super Bowl XXXI. He was also part of the Kansas team that won the 1992 Aloha Bowl, and was selected for the All-Academic Big Eight team in 1991.
with parents Leroy and Ann Brown, older brother Wes, and younger siblings, Sheri, Tommy and Anna (all of whom went to college and became athletes). Like Wes Sr., Gilbert was athletic and fast. Even his brothers could not run home before Gilbert.
During his senior year at MacKenzie High School
, he recorded 189 tackles and 19 sacks his senior year to earn all-state honors. Brown also lettered in track, competing in the shot put. He graduated from high school in 1989.
and the University of Michigan
to go to a school known for its powerful basketball program, and not for its football ability: the University of Kansas
. The Kansas Jayhawks coach Glen Mason
said, "The very first play of the first drill, he goes up against a lineman and he absolutely demolished him. We just looked around at each other."
When he was a Junior, Gilbert competed in the state tournament for high jump. He won 6 gold medals. With the Jayhawks, Brown helped build a winning program along with fellow defensive lineman and future NFL first round pick Dana Stubblefield
(Kansas went to the Aloha Bowl in '92). But Brown went through more difficult times during his college years: a friend Brown had just met on campus died unexpectedly of spinal meningitis, and Brown's father died of congestive heart failure during Brown's senior year.
He started all but 2 games in four seasons at the University of Kansas (1989–92), and was tied for sixth in school history in tackles by a defensive lineman with 168, fifth in career tackles for loss with 30, and had 7½ career sacks. He finished second on the team in sacks, tackles for loss and fumbles recovered in 1991 while helping the Jayhawks hold opponents to an average of 150.9 yards per game on the ground, which was the best run defense at Kansas since 1968 at the time. A year earlier, as a sophomore, was named as the Jayhawks’ ‘Co-Defensive Most Valuable Player’ and earned second team All-Big Eight Conference recognition. Brown started nine games at nose guard as a freshman…An All-Academic Big Eight selection in 1991.
Still, Brown made a name for himself in football. He was poked in the eye one too many times his freshman year, so he started wearing the tinted visor that he wore throughout his professional career. And he came up with that gravedigger move at Kansas—after a big defensive hit, he would dig an imaginary grave, which became his trademark and nickname.
He majored in human development.
in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft
(79th overall pick), but was waived during the final roster cutdowns on August 30, 1993 in his first training camp due to his weight. He was listed at 315 in college, but showed up to Vikings camp at a hefty 355. But the Packers, desperate then for defensive linemen, picked him up on August 31. Brown played in just two games that season while he worked off some of his weight in practice. In 1994
, he played but his season was cut short with a torn Anterior cruciate ligament
. Again in 1995, he played, but an elbow injury cut that season short. In 1996
, he started all 16 games next to Santana Dotson
, Sean Jones
and Reggie White
, a defensive unit that allowed a league record low 19 touchdowns. Brown had a career high 51 tackles, and his first complete 16 game season.
Brown became a fan favorite, partly because he was easy to spot, and partly because of his eccentric gravedigger dance. During the 1996 season, it became known that Brown would regularly order the "Gilbertburger" — a Double Whopper with extra everything, cut in half with extra cheese, no pickles — always obtained from the Oneida Street Burger King in Green Bay. Burger King even made it available for a short time as a promotion in the Green Bay/Milwaukee area Burger King
restaurants.
Brown was a highly sought after free agent after the 1996 season
, but he elected to take a pay cut to stay with the Packers. On February 18, 1997, he signed a three-year, $8.25 million contract, which was 10 times his 1996 salary, but was about $1 million less than the offer he received from Jacksonville. He said that he would rather stay with the team and fans that he knew and loved.
Many people thought that he started getting bigger around that time, and thought that he was as high as 360 or 375, much higher than his listed 345. "That was outrageous, I never got that big," said Brown. "The biggest I ever got up to was maybe 350, something like that." But the Packers were fine with his size. Despite his weight, he posted three sacks during the 1997
season, which tied his career high from 1994.
After playing all 16 games during the 1998
and 1999 seasons
, he spent the 2000
season out of football after his contract with the Packers was not renewed. Before the 2001
training camp, he worked out and lived for a time with Fred Roll, his former strength and conditioning coach at the University of Kansas, and subsequently returned to Green Bay for training camp in July at a perceptibly more svelte 339 pounds — and once again equipped with his former quickness. He was re-signed by the Packers on March 23, 2001, after which Brown announced, “If I didn’t think I could do this anymore, I wouldn't be here".
Brown had two good years after his return to football. However, he ruptured a biceps during the 2003
pre-season, but played on without having surgery. He recorded 14 tackles, one fumble recovery (the first of his career) and one pass defensed. In a victory over Chicago (Dec. 7), Brown posted a season-high four stops, along with a pass breakup.
On March 2, 2004, the Packers released Brown. He had played 125 Packers games (103 starts) with 292 tackles (186 solo) and seven sacks. He also played in 15 Packers playoff games. In franchise history, only Brett Favre
(22) has more.
special, "Where Are They Now?", featuring former professional athletes and what they are up to. Brown is currently a co-owner of the Milwaukee Mile
, a racetrack that is often used for NASCAR
races and at one time was the Packers' part-time home field. Gilbert even claims that he will occasionally fit his massive frame inside a race car and take a few laps.
Gilbert, with the strong influence of his mother and family, felt that he wanted to give something back to the community, so he started his foundation which helps inner-city kids, and many other causes such as Breast Cancer and Make A Wish. In 2002, he combined his love for cars with his desire to give back when he organized a car show, Gilbert Brown and Friends, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, which benefited the Make-a-Wish Foundation
.
On October 23, 2007, the Milwaukee Bonecrushers of the Continental Indoor Football League announced that Brown had signed a three-year contract to be the team's new head coach. The Bonecrushers began their season in March. However On Tuesday, April 8, 2008, Gilbert Brown resigned as head coach of the Milwaukee Bonecrushers citing irreconcilable differences with ownership.
On December 11, 2007, the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, Inc., Tuesday announced Brown would be inducted into the Hall at the 38th Hall of Fame Induction Banquet, to be held the evening of July 19, 2008, in the Lambeau Field
Atrium.
On August 6, 2009, it was announced that Brown would return to coaching as the first head coach of the expansion La Crosse Spartans
of the Indoor Football League
.
On April 1, 2011, Brown announced he was taking a leave of absence from the La Crosse Spartans. http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/article_0f77bcc6-5bcc-11e0-a988-001cc4c03286.html
As of Aug. 2011, Brown is the head coach of the Green Bay Chill of the Lingerie Football League. http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20110825/APC0507/110825013/Green-Bay-Chill-ready-Lingerie-Football-League-debut-Resch-Center-near-Green-Bay
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
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...
(1993–99, 2001–03). Brown played 125 Packers games (103 starts) recording 292 tackles (186 solo) and seven sacks. Nicknamed "The Gravedigger," in honor of his celebratory dance following a thunderous tackle, Brown played in 15 Packers playoff games. He was a major contributor on strong defenses during the mid 1990s. His best season was 1996, when Green Bay won Super Bowl XXXI. He was also part of the Kansas team that won the 1992 Aloha Bowl, and was selected for the All-Academic Big Eight team in 1991.
Early years
Gilbert grew up in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
with parents Leroy and Ann Brown, older brother Wes, and younger siblings, Sheri, Tommy and Anna (all of whom went to college and became athletes). Like Wes Sr., Gilbert was athletic and fast. Even his brothers could not run home before Gilbert.
During his senior year at MacKenzie High School
Mackenzie High School
Mackenzie High School is a secondary school in Linden, Guyana. As of 2005 it has an enrollment of some 567 students and a staff of 32.The school was established in 1946. At the time it was named "Echols High School" and was funded by the Demerara Bauxite Company. On its foundation it had a staff...
, he recorded 189 tackles and 19 sacks his senior year to earn all-state honors. Brown also lettered in track, competing in the shot put. He graduated from high school in 1989.
College career
Back in high school, Gilbert never looked at big-time football factories such as Michigan. He wanted to get away from what he saw in Detroit. He wanted a quiet, smaller environment in which to live after one of his classmates was gunned down. So he turned down Bo SchembechlerBo Schembechler
Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler, Jr. was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1989, compiling a career record of 234–65–8...
and 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...
to go to a school known for its powerful basketball program, and not for its football ability: the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
. The Kansas Jayhawks coach Glen Mason
Glen Mason
Glen O. Mason is an American football coach. Mason previously served as the head football coach at Kent State University, the University of Kansas, and the University of Minnesota, compiling a career college football record of 123–121–1.-Playing career:Mason played college football at...
said, "The very first play of the first drill, he goes up against a lineman and he absolutely demolished him. We just looked around at each other."
When he was a Junior, Gilbert competed in the state tournament for high jump. He won 6 gold medals. With the Jayhawks, Brown helped build a winning program along with fellow defensive lineman and future NFL first round pick Dana Stubblefield
Dana Stubblefield
Dana William Stubblefield is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. After graduating from Taylor High School in North Bend, Ohio, Stubblefield attended the University of Kansas....
(Kansas went to the Aloha Bowl in '92). But Brown went through more difficult times during his college years: a friend Brown had just met on campus died unexpectedly of spinal meningitis, and Brown's father died of congestive heart failure during Brown's senior year.
He started all but 2 games in four seasons at the University of Kansas (1989–92), and was tied for sixth in school history in tackles by a defensive lineman with 168, fifth in career tackles for loss with 30, and had 7½ career sacks. He finished second on the team in sacks, tackles for loss and fumbles recovered in 1991 while helping the Jayhawks hold opponents to an average of 150.9 yards per game on the ground, which was the best run defense at Kansas since 1968 at the time. A year earlier, as a sophomore, was named as the Jayhawks’ ‘Co-Defensive Most Valuable Player’ and earned second team All-Big Eight Conference recognition. Brown started nine games at nose guard as a freshman…An All-Academic Big Eight selection in 1991.
Still, Brown made a name for himself in football. He was poked in the eye one too many times his freshman year, so he started wearing the tinted visor that he wore throughout his professional career. And he came up with that gravedigger move at Kansas—after a big defensive hit, he would dig an imaginary grave, which became his trademark and nickname.
He majored in human development.
Professional career
Brown was drafted by the Minnesota VikingsMinnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft
1993 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...
(79th overall pick), but was waived during the final roster cutdowns on August 30, 1993 in his first training camp due to his weight. He was listed at 315 in college, but showed up to Vikings camp at a hefty 355. But the Packers, desperate then for defensive linemen, picked him up on August 31. Brown played in just two games that season while he worked off some of his weight in practice. In 1994
1994 NFL season
The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
, he played but his season was cut short with a torn 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...
. Again in 1995, he played, but an elbow injury cut that season short. In 1996
1996 NFL season
The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end...
, he started all 16 games next to Santana Dotson
Santana Dotson
Santana N. Dotson was an American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. He was a part of Houston's Yates High School football team when it won the 1985 5A state championship. While at Baylor, Dotson was voted All-American in 1991...
, Sean Jones
Sean Jones (defensive end)
Dwight Sean Jones is a former American football defensive end, who played for the Los Angeles Raiders , Houston Oilers , and the Green Bay Packers . Jones was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1993 season...
and Reggie White
Reggie White
Reginald Howard "Reggie" White was a professional American football player. He played 15 seasons as a defensive end in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers, becoming one of the most decorated players in NFL history...
, a defensive unit that allowed a league record low 19 touchdowns. Brown had a career high 51 tackles, and his first complete 16 game season.
Brown became a fan favorite, partly because he was easy to spot, and partly because of his eccentric gravedigger dance. During the 1996 season, it became known that Brown would regularly order the "Gilbertburger" — a Double Whopper with extra everything, cut in half with extra cheese, no pickles — always obtained from the Oneida Street Burger King in Green Bay. Burger King even made it available for a short time as a promotion in the Green Bay/Milwaukee area Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
restaurants.
Brown was a highly sought after free agent after the 1996 season
1996 NFL season
The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end...
, but he elected to take a pay cut to stay with the Packers. On February 18, 1997, he signed a three-year, $8.25 million contract, which was 10 times his 1996 salary, but was about $1 million less than the offer he received from Jacksonville. He said that he would rather stay with the team and fans that he knew and loved.
Many people thought that he started getting bigger around that time, and thought that he was as high as 360 or 375, much higher than his listed 345. "That was outrageous, I never got that big," said Brown. "The biggest I ever got up to was maybe 350, something like that." But the Packers were fine with his size. Despite his weight, he posted three sacks during the 1997
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
season, which tied his career high from 1994.
After playing all 16 games during the 1998
1998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
and 1999 seasons
1999 NFL season
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
, he spent the 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...
season out of football after his contract with the Packers was not renewed. Before the 2001
2001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
training camp, he worked out and lived for a time with Fred Roll, his former strength and conditioning coach at the University of Kansas, and subsequently returned to Green Bay for training camp in July at a perceptibly more svelte 339 pounds — and once again equipped with his former quickness. He was re-signed by the Packers on March 23, 2001, after which Brown announced, “If I didn’t think I could do this anymore, I wouldn't be here".
Brown had two good years after his return to football. However, he ruptured a biceps during the 2003
2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
pre-season, but played on without having surgery. He recorded 14 tackles, one fumble recovery (the first of his career) and one pass defensed. In a victory over Chicago (Dec. 7), Brown posted a season-high four stops, along with a pass breakup.
On March 2, 2004, the Packers released Brown. He had played 125 Packers games (103 starts) with 292 tackles (186 solo) and seven sacks. He also played in 15 Packers playoff games. In franchise history, only Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
(22) has more.
Life After Football
Gilbert was featured in the Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
special, "Where Are They Now?", featuring former professional athletes and what they are up to. Brown is currently a co-owner of the Milwaukee Mile
Milwaukee Mile
The Milwaukee Mile is a -long oval race track in West Allis, Wisconsin that seats about 40,000 spectators. It operated as a dirt track until 1953. The track was paved in 1954....
, a racetrack that is often used for NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
races and at one time was the Packers' part-time home field. Gilbert even claims that he will occasionally fit his massive frame inside a race car and take a few laps.
Gilbert, with the strong influence of his mother and family, felt that he wanted to give something back to the community, so he started his foundation which helps inner-city kids, and many other causes such as Breast Cancer and Make A Wish. In 2002, he combined his love for cars with his desire to give back when he organized a car show, Gilbert Brown and Friends, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, which benefited the Make-a-Wish Foundation
Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501 non-profit organization founded in the United States that grants wishes to children who have life-threatening medical conditions. The charity now operates in forty-seven countries around the world through thirty-six affiliate offices.The president & CEO of this...
.
On October 23, 2007, the Milwaukee Bonecrushers of the Continental Indoor Football League announced that Brown had signed a three-year contract to be the team's new head coach. The Bonecrushers began their season in March. However On Tuesday, April 8, 2008, Gilbert Brown resigned as head coach of the Milwaukee Bonecrushers citing irreconcilable differences with ownership.
On December 11, 2007, the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, Inc., Tuesday announced Brown would be inducted into the Hall at the 38th Hall of Fame Induction Banquet, to be held the evening of July 19, 2008, in the Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field is an outdoor football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957 as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium as the Packers' home field...
Atrium.
On August 6, 2009, it was announced that Brown would return to coaching as the first head coach of the expansion La Crosse Spartans
La Crosse Spartans
The La Crosse Spartans were a professional indoor football team. They were a member of the Indoor Football League. They played their home games at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin....
of the Indoor Football League
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an...
.
On April 1, 2011, Brown announced he was taking a leave of absence from the La Crosse Spartans. http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/article_0f77bcc6-5bcc-11e0-a988-001cc4c03286.html
As of Aug. 2011, Brown is the head coach of the Green Bay Chill of the Lingerie Football League. http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20110825/APC0507/110825013/Green-Bay-Chill-ready-Lingerie-Football-League-debut-Resch-Center-near-Green-Bay