Dave Brown says good-bye

Source: Inside the Seahawks
Volume 2, Number 1
Sept. 3-Sept. 9, 1987

In a day choked with emotion, Seahawk veteran Dave Brown was traded Aug. 26 to the Green Bay Packers.

Brown’s initial reaction to the news, he told reporters, was of great disappointment. Ever the consummate team player, the Seahawks’ defensive captain the past four years said that he understood the decision.

"I know Coach (Chuck) Knox and the coaching staff make decisions based on what they feel is right," Brown said. “I’m honored to have played for the Seattle organization for 11 years."

Brown was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round in the first round in 1975. He played in 15 games as a rookie, and appeared with the Steelers in Super Bowl X.

He was acquired by Seattle in the 1976 Veterans Allocation draft, and is the only player remaining in the NFL from that draft.

He started every game he played in for Seattle (159), and had started 82 consecutive games. Brown leaves for a Green Bay team that is desperate for defensive backs, and he is expected to be their starter when the regular season opens.

Brown, speaking to reporters at a press conference just hours after being told by Knox that he had been traded, was asked to reminisce about the high and low points of his Seattle career.

“I don’t have enough time," he said sadly.

Brown had the option of retiring rather than reporting to the Oconomowoc training camp in Wisconsin.

Born to play football, he said, he still loves the game and is excited to have the opportunity to continue playing.

“I considered (retiring)” said Brown. “The vow I made to God was to honor my contract until I’m released.”

Brown has three years remaining on a five-year contract he signed in 1985. He will be paid $355,000 this season, $390,000 in 1988 and $440,000 in 1989.

The 34-year-old cornerback apparently had not been part of the Seahawks plans since the end of last season. But he asked Knox for a chance to make the team, and Knox gave him that chance.

Brown had a good mini-camp and was a member of the first team until last week. After the St. Louis game, both Brown and fellow cornerback Terry Taylor were demoted to second team, and then the trade was made. Brown's replacement, Patrick Hunter, said Brown had helped him a great deal.

“I was told this morning that I have a job. Now I have to keep it,” said Hunter the day Brown was traded. Hunter, a second-year pro out of Nevada-Reno, said his goal this training camp was to be on the first team “but I didn’t expect Dave to be gone.”

For the five years he has been head coach, said Knox, Dave Brown had provided great leadership.

"Trading him, was a tough thing to do. He’s a great football player and a great part of Seahawks’ football history,” said Knox. "But he has the opportunity to play (in Green Bay) which is what he wants to do."

The burden of leadership for the defensive side of the football team, said Knox, will fall on veterans Kenny Easley, Jacob Green and Jeff Bryant.

Brown missed only six games during his Seahawks career, all in 1981 after breaking his leg. He is tied with Donnie Shell as the leading active interceptor in the NFL with 50 pass steals.

He led the team four times in interceptions, and has placed in the AFC’s top 10 six times. Brown intercepted two passes in a game seven times and has scored five touchdowns on interception returns. Brown is the co-holder of the NFL record for returning two interceptions for touchdowns in a single game, a feat he accomplished against Kansas City in 1984.

Brown was honored in 1984 by being named to several All-NFL teams, and was selected to the AFC Pro Bowl Squad following the 1984 season.

Dave, his wife Rhonda, and children Aaron and Sterling, will continue to make their off-season home in the Seattle area.

Brown left his football home for the past 11 years late in the afternoon. He embraced members of the Seahawks’ family, shook hands with reporters.

Then said good-bye.

Sterling Brown - UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Source: Go huskies.com

One-year letterman who joined the team in October 2000 as an invited walk-on ... Played limited minutes last season and should see increased playing time this year ... A tall athletic guard who has tremendous shooting range ... Father, Dave Brown, was a standout NFL cornerback who was inducted into the Seahawks’ Ring of Honor in 1992. After playing his collegiate football at Michigan, Dave played on the 1975 Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers before being picked by Seattle in the 1976 expansion draft. He started all 159 games he played for the Seahawks from 1976-86 and recorded 50 career interceptions. He was a 1984 Pro Bowl participant with Seattle and concluded his career in Green Bay from 1987-92. 2000-01 (Freshman) ... Participated in 18 games, including 13 Pac-10 contests ... Totaled 27 points and 13 rebounds while averaging 4.3 minutes per game ... A fine outside shooter who converted 3-of-8 attempts from 3-point range ... Tallied his collegiate career-high of six points at USC (Jan. 6) during a season-high 15 minutes of play.

A real estate career awaits DB

Source: Inside the Seahawks
Volume 1, Number 25
April 17, 1987 – May 7, 1987

Time well spent with his family is Dave Brown’s top priority.

“I limit my various speaking engagements and out-of-town activities says Brown. “My family and my faith in God are definitely top priorities. Brown and his wife, Rhonda, have two children, Aaron, 6, and Sterling, 5. “We’re going to be taking a trip together sometime close to Easter,” says Brown. "We went to Disneyland last year and had a great time.”

Brown is also pursuing an interest in real estate that began after he received his real estate license n 1978.

Specializing in shopping center and retail leasing, the Seahawks’ veteran cornerback and defensive captain became a member of the Sherwood Group Realty Corporation this year.

He previously worked for the Andover Company, a Renton-based industrial real estate brokerage firm.

“I enjoy the challenges of real estate,” says Brown.

Brown graduated as a speech, radio and television major from Michigan. Preparing for his 13th NFL season, Brown is playing lots of basketball and racquetball, lifts weights two to three times a week and is starting his track and footwork drills.

He is optimistic about the 1987 season.

“The team is working very hard. I think that good things are coming in 1987.”

Brown lettered in football and basketball at Garfield High in Akron, Ohio. Brown was named to Michigan’s All-Time Wolverine team in 1983. He was a unanimous All-America pick in 1974 and consensus choke in 1973.

Brown is a volunteer for the Variety Club, Big Brothers, United Cerebral Palsy and the Multiple Sclerosis Association.

The Browns make their home in Woodinville.

Red Raider Family Mourns Loss Of Dave Brown

Brown was one of the most well-respected invididuals on the Texas Tech campus

Source: Texas Tech
Jan. 10, 2006

LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech assistant football coach Dave Brown passed away late Tuesday afternoon of an apparent heart attack. He would have been 53 on Monday.

"Our heart goes out to Dave's family," Texas Tech Head Coach Mike Leach said. "Dave lived a great life that anyone could be proud of. He was one of best people I have ever known. He had a tremendous impact on our program based on the kind of person he was. He will be missed, but we are honored to have had the opportunity to know him."

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.

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 was a two-time All-America defensive back at the University of Michigan, before beginning 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 Seahawk's Ring of Honor for his contributions. 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.