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James Brown (quarterback)

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For the offensive tackle of the same name, see James Brown (offensive lineman).
James Brown
Date of birth (1975-05-17) May 17, 1975 (age 49)
Place of birthBeaumont, Texas
Career information
Position(s)Quarterback
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight200 lb (91 kg)
US collegeTexas
Career highlights and awards
Awards1995 SWC Offensive
Player of the Year 1997 Blue-Gray All Star Game MVP

James Brown (born May 17, 1975) is a former American football quarterback. He was the starting quarterback of the Texas Longhorns from 1994 to 1997. At the time, he was only the second black quarterback to guide Texas through an entire season (after Donnie Little in 1978), and is credited for "opening doors" for future black quarterbacks at Texas, such as Vince Young.[1]

Longhorns career

Brown was born in Beaumont, Texas to J.W. Brown and Julia Brown. [2] A West Brook Senior High School graduate, he came to UT as the state's top quarterback prospect, and, after redshirting in 1993, he went on to turn in a record-setting career. Brown finished with 30 Longhorn records, including passing yards (7,638), total offense (8,049) and touchdown passes (53). A team captain in 1997, Brown became the first Longhorn quarterback in 20 years to earn first-team All-Southwest Conference (SWC) honors (Marty Akins, 1975) en route to leading Texas to the final SWC Championship, a 10-2-1 record, and a berth in the Sugar bowl in 1995, where Texas lost to Virginia Tech 28-10. He was also named SWC Offensive Player of the Year that season. In 1996, Brown guided Texas through a late season surge that was capped off by a stunning upset of defending National Champion Nebraska in the inaugural Big 12 championship game.

Roll Left

Perhaps the defining moment of his Texas career came in the aforementioned Big 12 title game. The Longhorns were clinging to a 30-27 lead late in the fourth quarter, but faced fourth-and-inches at their own 28-yard line. Texas coach John Mackovic decided to gamble for the first down, calling "roll left", a staple of the team's goal-line offense. The play called for Brown to fake to running back Priest Holmes and roll to his left. Before the play, Mackovic told him on the sidelines "come to run", intending for Brown to run for the first down, but the play included an option to pass if it was there. Brown took the snap, but as he rolled out, he saw his tight end Derek Lewis behind the Cornhuskers defense. He stopped and threw the ball to the wide-open Lewis, who ran down the sideline for a 61-yard gain. The Longhorns sealed the win and the Big 12 title when Holmes ran for a touchdown on the next play.[3]

College Statistics

  • 1994: 80/115 for 1,037 yards with 12 TD vs 2 INT. 127 yards and 2 TD rushing.
  • 1995: 163/322 for 2,447 yards with 19 TD vs 12 INT. 136 yards and 1 TD rushing.
  • 1996: 170/299 for 2,468 yards with 17 TD vs 12 INT. 119 yards and 2 TD rushing.
  • 1997: 133/267 for 1,676 yards with 5 TD vs 11 INT. 29 yards and 1 TD rushing.

Professional Career

Considered too small at 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m), Brown never played in the National Football League. As a professional, Brown first signed with the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League in 1998, but was cut after the preseason. [4] He then signed with and led the Texas Terminators to the Indoor Professional Football League (IPFL) championship game in 1999 and was named the IPFL offensive player of the year. His performance earned him a spot in the Arena Football where he played for five seasons.[5] His first two seasons, he was the backup quarterback with the Nashville Kats, and with the Kats went to the ArenaBowl in 2000 and 2001. He spent the next season on the injured reserve with the San Jose SaberCats. He spent his final two years as a reserve with the Georgia Force. During his time with San Jose, he was the Player Coach. [6]

During the same time he also played in the NFL Europe, playing a season with the Scottish Claymores in 2002 as the backup quarterback and another as the starter with the Frankfurt Galaxy in 2003. In that season he led the Galaxy to a win in World Bowl XI.[7]

In 2008, he was signed by the CenTex Barricudas of the Intense Football League as a midseason replacement and led the team to a six wins in eight games and a spot in the league semifinals.

In 2000, he earned his B.A degree from Texas in Management.

Coaching Career

Brown started his coaching career as the Offensive Coordinator at Hyde Park Baptist High School from 2004-2006 and then in 2010 became the Running backs coach for Lamar University in Beaumont, TX.[8]

References

  1. ^ Brown's QB success with Texas has opened doors for blacks
  2. ^ "High Stakes Gambler". Sports Illustrated Vault. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  3. ^ "Great Games & Moments: 1990s". Texas Longhorns Football History. The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  4. ^ http://www.texnews.com/1998/texsports/aust0812.html
  5. ^ http://www.arenafan.com/players/James_Brown-2352/
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ^ [2]
  8. ^ http://www.lamarcardinals.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/brown_james00.html
Preceded by University of Texas Quarterback
1994–1997 		Succeeded by

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