Wolverine Football Great Dave Brown Passes Away
1/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Texas Tech assistant football coach and former University of Michigan football great Dave Brown passed away late Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 10) of an apparent heart attack while playing basketball at the on-campus recreation center. Brown was taken to University Medical Center in Lubbock where he was pronounced dead. He would have been 53 on Monday.
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A five-year veteran on the Red Raider coaching staff, Brown coached the cornerbacks since his arrival in 2001. He initially retired from coaching in 1998 after a seven-year run as cornerbacks' coach for the Seattle Seahawks, but returned to the sideline three seasons later for his only collegiate position.
In Ann Arbor, he will be remembered as one of the great defensive backs in U-M history. He was a two-time consensus All-American and three-time All-Big Ten Conference selection while playing for coach Bo Schembechler. Brown was selected to the Michigan all-century team at the conclusion of the 1999 season.
During his Michigan career, Brown made 212 tackles (147 solo tackles), picked off nine interceptions and returned one for a touchdown in 33 games of action. A native of Akron, Ohio, Brown was also a punt return specialist, returning one punt for an 88-yard touchdown, the second longest runback in Michigan history at that time. Brown was co-captain of the 1974 squad.
"He was one of those guys you thought could go on forever," said former Wolverine and Seahawks teammate Don Dufek. "He was never hurt and he played so tough, I just can't believe this happened to Dave."
Brown was active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and held weekly bible studies for Texas Tech student-athletes. His faith in God and his leadership made him one of the most admired individuals on the Texas Tech campus.
"This is a tremendous loss to not only the Texas Tech family, but also to the many lives Dave touched throughout his life," Texas Tech Director of Athletics Gerald Myers said. "He had a tremendous influence on everyone he came in contact with, including the student-athletes and people he worked with here in our department."
Brown began a 16-year professional career with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1975. Brown participated in the Steelers' Super Bowl X win against the Dallas Cowboys, before being picked up by Seattle in the 1976 expansion draft. The move proved to be a good one for Brown, who spent the next 11 seasons with the Seahawks.
A 1984 All-Pro selection, Brown holds the all-time record in Seattle with 50 interceptions and was enshrined in the Seahawks' Ring of Honor in 1992. He finished his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers for four seasons before retiring in 1990.
Brown is survived by his wife, Rhonda, and sons, Aaron and Sterling.
Texas Tech Athletics Site
Media Contacts: Bruce Madej, David Ablauf (734) 763-4423
