Kippy Brown

Kippy Brown (born March 6, 1955 in ) was a collegiate level starting for and has coached in various capacities at both the collegiate and professional levels of . He graduated from in 1977 with a degree in , and is currently the assistant head coach/passing game coordinator of the .

Playing career

Kippy Brown began his football career at Sweetwater High School in winning the 1973 state championship. He also helped his prep team lead the state in scoring in 1972 and 1973.

Following a stellar high school career, Brown attended Memphis State University (now known as University of Memphis) where he was quarterback for the Tigers from 1975-77. Brown was an outstanding field general, and his leadership ability combined with his unique scrambling talents and strong arm paid dividends when the Tigers upset sixth-ranked 31-20 in 1975. In what was probably the Tigers’ best win during his tenure, Brown engineered this victory by completing seven of 11 passes for 103 yards and two .

Coaching Career 1978-1999

After graduating from MSU in 1977 with a B.A. in Communications, Brown switched gears from playing to at his and served as coach in 1978 under Richard Williamson and receivers coach from 1979-1980.

After coaching two years with the Tigers, he moved to to coach at the (U of L) Cardinals for the 1982 campaign. One of his pupils was who later played for the from 1983-1992.

Following the ’82 season at U of L, Brown returned to his roots in the state of Tennessee helping coach the -run Volunteers football team. During his first stint with the Vols from 1983-89, Brown helped Tennessee acquire the nickname “Wide Receiver U.,” coaching numerous pass catchers to greatness. Receivers , , and all benefited from Brown’s tutelage prior to their joining the professional ranks.

Brown, 45, caught the attention of the while with Tennessee and coached for the Jets from 1990-1992. While with the Jets in 1991, he coached running backs for NY head coach and saw his backs rank fifth in the in . That 1991 squad also returned to the for the first time since 1986.

Brown later returned to when Tennessee head coach convinced him to return to the collegiate ranks as assistant head coach and wide receivers coach for two seasons (1993-1994). He brought an offensive flair from the professional ranks to the UT offensive package as the Vols compiled an 18-6 record and outscored their opponents 847-383 over the course of those two years. A young also benefited from Brown’s guidance during his campaign as the Vols’ signal caller.

Following a highly successful 1994 Tennessee season, Brown was again called to the pro ranks, joining in 1995. Then-Tampa Bay head coach named Brown running backs coach stating, “Getting Kippy is a major coup for us.” While in , he also worked closely with former Bucs head coach and current head coach of the , .

From 1996-1999, he was on ’s Miami Dolphins coaching staff, where he was the from 1998-99 and the running backs coach from 1996-97. In 1996, Brown helped RB become the first Dolphins running back to reach 1,000 yards in 18 years, and in 1997 Abdul-Jabbar tied a league-high 15 rushing touchdowns.

Coaching Career 2000-Present

In 2000, Brown joined the as running backs coach under head coach . Following the creation of the in 2001, Brown took command of his hometown finishing the year 5-5; second in the Western Division and was the only team to defeat eventual XFL champions L.A. Xtreme twice. The team disbanded after one year as the XFL league collapsed.

After the demise of the XFL, Kippy Brown spent four seasons as the wide receivers coach. Among his pupils in Texas was WR , who was taken by Houston with the third overall pick in the . Johnson became the first Texans offensive player to earn a trip to the , selected for his outstanding 2004 season that included club records of 79 for 1,129 yards.

Brown arrived in , for the 2006 season with the . There, he reunited with , with whom Brown worked on the New York Jets from 1990-92, Miami from 1996-98 and Green Bay Packers in 2000. For the 2008 Season, Brown will serve as Assistant Head Coach/Passing Game Coordinator.

Family life

Brown and his wife, Deon (Wilson), were married in Memphis in 1974. Deon is a native Memphian who taught locally at Craigmont High School from 1978-81. The couple has two grown children, Jerome, born January 8, 1975, and Jennifer, born July 28, 1980.

Jerome earned a basketball scholarship at the University of Tennessee under former Vol head coach , and competed on the tour. Jennifer studied at in .

Eternal Links

• Detroit Lions