Larry Brown (cornerback)

For other people of the same name, see Larry Brown (disambiguation).

Larry Brown Jr. (born November 30, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders. He was named the MVP of Super Bowl XXX and played college football at Texas Christian University.

Larry Brown

No. 24, 34
Position:	Cornerback
Personal information
Born:	(1969-11-30) November 30, 1969 (age 55) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:	185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school:	Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California)
College:	Los Angeles Southwest (1987–1988) TCU (1989–1990)
NFL draft:	1991 / round: 12 / pick: 320
Career history
Dallas Cowboys (1991–1995) Oakland Raiders (1996–1997) Minnesota Vikings (1998)* Dallas Cowboys (1998)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
3× Super Bowl champion (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX) Super Bowl MVP (XXX) PFWA All-Rookie Team (1991) George Halas Award (1996)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 317 Forced fumbles: 1 Fumble recoveries: 2 Interceptions: 14 Defensive touchdowns: 2 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

Brown attended Los Angeles High School, where he earned All-city honors in football and track.

After not receiving any scholarship offers, he began his collegiate career at Los Angeles Southwest College as a running back. He was moved to cornerback during his sophomore season, receiving All-league honors after tallying 61 tackles and 4 interceptions. He also practiced track.

As a junior he transferred to Texas Christian University, and was named the starter at left cornerback, collecting 27 tackles, one interception and one pass defensed in the first five games, until being lost for the season with an ankle injury. limited with injuries.

As a senior he regained his starter position, registering 75 tackles (fifth on the team), 2 interceptions and 10 passes defensed (led the team). He had 10 tackles against Oklahoma State University.

In 1990, he was invited to the Blue–Gray Football Classic, where he earned MVP honors, after making 9 tackles and one pass defensed.^[1]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
5 ft 11+1⁄8 in (1.81 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	30+1⁄2 in (0.77 m)	8+3⁄4 in (0.22 m)	4.63 s	1.62 s	2.72 s	4.34 s	30.0 in (0.76 m)	9 ft 6 in (2.90 m)	15 reps
All values from NFL Combine[2]

Dallas Cowboys (first stint)

Brown was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 12th round (320th overall) of the 1991 NFL draft.^[3] Although there weren't many expectations for him at the start of preseason, he surprised the coaches with his play, even though he quit training camp for a few days because of personal reasons and also had a brief hospitalization that was thought to be appendicitis. In the fourth game, he passed Manny Hendrix on the depth chart at right cornerback, becoming the first Cowboys rookie to start at cornerback since Ron Francis in 1987. He posted 68 tackles (eighth on the team), 2 interceptions, 18 passes defensed (second on the team), one forced fumble and was named to the NFL All-rookie team. In the Cowboys 52–17 win over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII, he recorded an interception in the second quarter.

In 1992, he played opposite to Kevin Smith, making them the youngest starting cornerback duo in the league. He had 61 tackles (sixth on the team), one interception, 11 passes defensed (led the league), 5 special teams tackles and one fumble recovery.

In 1993, he recorded 63 tackles and 11 passes defensed (tied for second on the team). In 1994, he tallied 57 tackles, 4 interceptions (third on the team) and 12 passes defensed (tied for third on the team). The 1995 season would be a great season for Brown, recording six interceptions, returning two of them for touchdowns and recording 47 tackles, en route to the Cowboys reaching and winning Super Bowl XXX, in which he earned MVP honors with two second half interceptions, which the Cowboys converted into two touchdowns to prevent a Steelers comeback.^[4]

Oakland Raiders

Brown became a free agent immediately after his Super Bowl MVP performance and used his award as leverage to sign a lucrative contract (five years, $12.5 million with $3.5 million guaranteed) with the Oakland Raiders on February 20, 1996.^[5] In 1997, he was demoted to a backup role and suspended four weeks by the team for "conduct detrimental to the team".^[6] On June 3, 1998, he was waived after being a disappointment and playing only 12 games (one start) in two years for the Raiders.^[7] Brown is believed to be one of the NFL's biggest free agent busts in NFL history.^[8][9][10]

Minnesota Vikings

On June 16, 1998, he was signed as a free agent by the Minnesota Vikings, to help improve one of the worst secondaries in the league. He was limited with a hamstring injury and was released with an injury settlement on August 30.^[11]

Dallas Cowboys (second stint)

On December 2, 1998, he returned to the Cowboys to provide depth at cornerback.^[12] He finished out the season and career playing four games for the Cowboys that season; upon his retirement, he had made 14 career interceptions, which he returned for a total of 210 yards and two touchdowns. He also had two fumble recoveries.

Personal life

Currently, Brown is a cohost of The Dallas Cowboys Radio Network Pregame and Postgame Shows on 105.3 The Fan, the flagship station of the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network.

He played himself in an episode of Married... with Children.^[13] He also appeared on Weekend Update in a 1996 episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Danny Aiello. He was named Number 3 in NFL Top 10 for Worst Free Agent Signings and Number 3 in One Shot Wonders.^[14]

Brown's son Kameron was a 4-star wide receiver in high school and is currently playing football for Texas A&M.^[15] However, on November 23, 2020, Kameron announced on Twitter that he would transfer to UCLA for the 2021 season.^[16] His son Christopher Brown died in 1995 at 10 weeks of age after being born premature.^[17]

References

1. White, Lonnie (January 28, 1993). "SUPER BOWL XXVII : Brown Doesn't Mind Anonymity in Hometown : Cowboys: The cornerback, a former Los Angeles High player, is known in Dallas". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
2. "Larry Brown, Combine Results, CB - Texas Christian". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
3. "1991 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
4. Barnhart, John; St. Angelo, Ron (1996). Keeping Up With the Boys: From Austin to Super Bowl XXX : The Dynasty Continues. Taylor Publishing. ISBN 0-87833-952-3.
5. "Ranking the 25 worst contracts in NFL history, Nos. 10–1". November 11, 2015. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
6. "Larry Brown's Suspension Ends". Los Angeles Times. November 13, 1997. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
7. "PLUS: FOOTBALL -- OAKLAND; Brown Released". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 25, 1998. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
8. Santorsa, Tony. "The 50 Worst Free Agent Signings in NFL History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
9. Lombardi, Tony (May 31, 2005). "TOP FREE AGENT BUSTS IN THE NFL". Russell Street Report. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
10. "Dishonor roll: The 10 worst Raiders' free agent signings of last 30 years". The Mercury News. March 4, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
11. "Transactions". The New York Times. August 31, 1998. Archived from the original on February 4, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
12. "Down on Corner, Brown Is Back". Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
13. "Larry Brown". imdb.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
14. "Top Ten One Shot Wonders: Larry Brown". NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
15. "Dallas Cowboys: Larry Brown talks about son Kam Brown, Texas A&M | Fort Worth Star-Telegram". Archived from the original on December 12, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
16. @Kameronbrown__ (November 23, 2020). "Committed! #4sup" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2023 – via Twitter.
17. "For Brown, triumph after a tragedy Game's star lost infant son two months ago". Retrieved March 16, 2023.