| No. 28, 25 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Safety Kick returner | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1952-02-19)February 19, 1952 (age 73) Jasper, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 187 lb (85 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College | Tennessee | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1974: 8th round, 199th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Paul Edward Brown (born February 19, 1952) is an American former professionalfootball player who was asafety in theNational Football League (NFL) for theCleveland Browns, theWashington Redskins, and theLos Angeles Rams. He playedcollege football for theTennessee Volunteers.
Brown attended Marion County High School in Jasper, Tennessee, and graduated in 1970. At theUniversity of Tennessee, he was a safety andpunt returner. In 1973, he wasteam captain as a senior and was a first-teamAll-America selection by Football News.[1]
Brown wasdrafted by the Cleveland Browns in the eighth round of the1974 NFL draft. He was traded to the Washington Redskins during the 1975 season, and was anAll-Pro andPro Bowl selection during the1976 and1977 seasons. In 1976, he led the National Football League in punt return yardage with 646 and was second in yards per return at 13.5. He also had a 71-yard return for a touchdown that season. In 1977, he led the NFL in punt returns with 57. On October 9,1977, his 11 punt returns against theTampa Bay Buccaneers set anNFL single-game record.[2]
Traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 1978 for offensive linemanJeff Williams, Brown played that season and 1979 for the Rams.
In 1979 the Rams won theNational Football Conference championship and played thePittsburgh Steelers inSuper Bowl XIV on January 20, 1980. Brown had aninterception in the third quarter, but Pittsburgh won, 31-19.
Brown returned to professional football in 1983 with theChicago Blitz of theUnited States Football League. He had six interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, that season.[3] He played for the USFL'sArizona Wranglers in 1984 and had two interceptions.[4]
Brown was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.[5]