Callie Brownson

Last updated

Callie Brownson
Callie Brownson (2021).jpg
Brownson in 2021
Personal information
Born: (1989-10-15) October 15, 1989 (age 35)
Mount Vernon, Virginia, U.S.
Career information
High school: Mount Vernon
College: George Mason University
Position:Assistant wide receivers coach
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
As a staff member / executive:
Career highlights and awards
As player
  • 2× WFA champion (2015, 2016)
Callie Brownson
Medal record
Women's American football
Representing Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
World Championship
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2013 Finland Team Competition
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2017 Vancouver Team Competition

Callie Brownson (born October 15, 1989) [1] is an American football coach and player who last served as the assistant wide receivers coach for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). [2] In September 2018, she became the first woman hired as a full-time NCAA Division I coach, when she was promoted by Dartmouth, after briefly working as an intern for the team. [3] [4]

Contents

Brownson played for the D.C. Divas in the Women's Football Alliance (WFA) from 2010 to 2017 as a free safety and running back, winning two championships. She also won two gold medals with the United States women's national American football team.

Early life

Born in Mount Vernon, Virginia, Brownson was raised by her father, Bruce B. Brownson. [1] [5] She attended Mount Vernon High School, [6] where she played softball, [1] as the football team would not allow girls. [7]

Playing career

While attending George Mason University, Brownson tried out for the D.C. Divas in the Women's Football Alliance (WFA) at age 19. [1] [7] She played with the team for eight seasons, five of which she served as a team captain and four of which she was named All-American. Brownson was also a member of the United States women's national American football team when it won the IFAF Women's World Championship in 2013 and 2017. [2] [3]

Coaching career

Brownson was an assistant football coach at her alma mater, Mount Vernon High School, for three seasons, beginning at age 21. [1] [7] In 2017, she served as a scouting intern for the New York Jets. [3] In 2019, she was hired by the Buffalo Bills to serve as a coaching intern. [8]

She became the first woman to coach an NFL position group in a regular-season game when she filled in for the Cleveland Browns tight ends coach Drew Petzing in a week 12 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 29, 2020. [9] She filled in for passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Chad O'Shea during the week 17 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, [10] and for Petzing again during the Browns' first game of the 2020–21 NFL playoffs. [11] On March 3, 2023, Brownson was promoted to assistant wide receivers coach. [12]

On January 10, 2025, it was announced that Brownson would be leaving the Browns to join USA Football as the senior director of high performance & national team operations. [13]

Arrest

On May 27, 2021, Brownson was arrested in Brunswick, Ohio after she was observed driving 20 miles per hour above the speed limit. Her blood alcohol content was .215, over twice the legal limit of .08. On June 8, 2021, Brownson pleaded no contest to a charge of operating a vehicle under the influence. She was fined and ordered to attend a driver intervention program. [14] The Browns announced that she was suspended from team activities and would face discipline. [15] [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's gridiron football</span> American football practiced by women

Women's gridiron football, more commonly known as women's tackle football, women's American football, women's Canadian football, or simply women's football, is a form of gridiron football played by women. Most leagues play by similar rules to the men's game. Women primarily play on a semi-professional or amateur level in the United States. Very few high schools or colleges offer the sport solely for women and girls. However, on occasion, it is permissible for a female player to join the otherwise male team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Van Pelt</span> American football player and coach (born 1970)

Gregory Alexander Van Pelt is an American professional football coach and former quarterback. He played in the NFL primarily with the Buffalo Bills. Van Pelt previously served as an assistant coach for the Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duce Staley</span> American football player and coach (born 1975)

Duce Staley is an American football coach and former player who is the running backs coach for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served in the same capacity with the Detroit Lions during the 2021 and 2022 NFL seasons, and with the Philadelphia Eagles in various assistant coaching roles from 2011 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesota Vixen</span> American womens football team

The Minnesota Vixen is a professional women's football team based in the Twin Cities. The team has been known as the Minnesota Vixens and Minneapolis Vixens prior to being known as the Vixen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Schwartz</span> American football coach (born 1966)

James J. Schwartz is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He was head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2009 to 2013. He was also defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans from 2001 to 2008, Buffalo Bills in 2014, and Philadelphia Eagles from 2016 to 2020. In addition, Schwartz was the Senior Defensive Assistant for the Titans from 2021 to 2022. He won Super Bowl LII with the Eagles in 2018.

Samuel Richard Shade is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for Alabama A&M University, a position he has held since 2025. He played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 to 2002 as a safety for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Washington Redskins. Shade played college football at the University of Alabama and was selected in the fourth round of the 1995 NFL draft.

Douglass Clayton Colman is an American football coach, former player and son of former NFL player Wayne Charles Colman. He was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons with the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns after playing college football at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thad Lewis</span> American football player and coach (born 1987)

Thaddeus Cowan Lewis is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad O'Shea</span> American football player and coach (born 1972)

Chad O'Shea is an American football coach and former player who is the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He previously was an assistant coach for the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, and Kansas City Chiefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freddie Kitchens</span> American football player and coach (born 1974)

Charles Frederick Kitchens Jr. is an American football coach who serves as the offensive coordinator for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Kitchens was previously tight ends coach and run game coordinator, and later the interim head coach for the Tar Heels' 2024 bowl game prior to the hiring of Bill Belichick. He has served as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns and an assistant coach for the New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals, and Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. He has also spent stints as an assistant coach with Mississippi State, North Texas, LSU and Glenville State of the NCAA. He was fired in 2019 after his lone season as a head coach when his Browns team ended with a 6–10 record.

Kevin Sean Rogers is an American football coach and former player. In his 38-year career, Rogers has coached in 13 postseason bowl games and multiple NFL playoff games as an assistant coach. He is a senior offensive assistant for the Cleveland Browns.

James Stanley is an American gridiron football Linebackers Coach & Pass Game Analyst for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Stanley has worked in the CFL for 13 seasons and has coached in 8 Grey Cups for 3 different teams and has won 3 championships. Stanley played professional football from 2004 to 2007 for various teams in the Arena Football League (AFL), AF2, National Indoor Football League (NIFL) and American Indoor Football League (AIFL) and was the first overall pick in the AIFL draft in 2005. He has coached for several teams at the college and professional levels. Stanley was the linebackers coach for the Toronto Argonauts when they won the 100th Grey Cup in 2012. And the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2019 and 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Renegades (WFA)</span> Womens american football team

The Boston Renegades are a tackle football team in the Women's Football Alliance. The Renegades play their home games at Harry Della Russo Stadium in Revere, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Stefanski</span> American football coach (born 1982)

Kevin Lawrence Stefanski is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL career as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Vikings from 2006 to 2019 and was the offensive coordinator during his final two seasons. Stefanski left Minnesota to become the Browns' head coach in 2020, where he led the team to their first playoff appearance since 2002. He was named NFL Coach of the Year after the season, becoming the first Browns coach to receive the honor since 1976 and the first following the franchise's 1999 return as an expansion team. He led the Browns to a second playoff appearance in 2023 and won a second NFL Coach of the Year award for his work that season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katie Sowers</span> American football player and coach (born 1986)

Katie Sowers is an American football coach, formerly in the National Football League (NFL). She was the first openly gay and first female coach in Super Bowl history. Sowers began her American football career playing in the Women's Football Alliance (WFA). She joined the NFL in 2016 as a coach for the Atlanta Falcons and then with the San Francisco 49ers, before joining the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021. Sowers currently works in the athletic department of Ottawa University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Cleveland Browns season</span> 72nd season in franchise history

The 2020 season was the Cleveland Browns' 68th as a member of the National Football League (NFL), their 72nd overall, and their first under general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski. The Browns improved on their 6–10 record from 2019 and finished 11–5, clinching their first winning season since 2007 and their best since 1994. They also ended their franchise-record and league-high 17-year playoff drought, making it to the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

Drew Petzing is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings.

Timothy Chase McCartney is an American professional football coach who was most recently the quarterbacks coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the tight ends coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2022 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer King</span> American sports coach (born 1984)

Jennifer King is an American football coach who is an offensive assistant for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). She is best known for being the first black woman to be a full-time NFL coach upon being named assistant running backs coach for the Washington Commanders in 2021. A former two-sport athlete at Guilford College, King has also coached women's college basketball and for the NFL's Carolina Panthers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Team USA – Callie Brownson, D.C. Divas". Women's Football Alliance. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Callie Brownson named Chief of Staff for Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski". www.clevelandbrowns.com. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Jones, Kaelen (September 11, 2018). "Callie Brownson Promoted At Dartmouth, Becomes First Female Full-Time Division I Coach". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Dartmouth hires two women as coaching interns, a rare move in college football". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  5. ↑ Lundmark, Aaron (July 6, 2016). "Mount Vernon Local Thrives in Women's Professional Football". Mount Vernon Gazette. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  6. ↑ "'The kind of stuff you dream about': Alexandria native is college football's 1st full-time Div. 1 female coach". WTOP. September 14, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 Bogage, Jacob. "Virginia native becomes first female Division I college football coach". The Free Lance-Star. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Buffalo Bills adding Callie Brownson as intern to coaching staff for 2019". democratandchronicle.com. August 21, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Cleveland Browns: Callie Brownson becomes first female NFL position coach". Sky Sports. November 29, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  10. ↑ Risdon, Jeff (January 2, 2021). "Callie Brownson will replace Chad O'Shea as Browns WR coach vs. Steelers". USAToday.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  11. ↑ Smith, Pete (January 8, 2021). "Browns Finally Practice, 7 Players Listed as Questionable, Including 3 All-Pros". Sports Illustrated Cleveland Browns News, Analysis and More. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Browns promote Callie Brownson to assistant WR coach; promote assistant DB coach Brandon Lynch to CB coach". cleveland.com. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Callie Brownson joins USA Football as Senior Director of High Performance & National Team Operations". clevelandbrowns.com. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  14. ↑ Cabot, Mary Kay (June 8, 2021). "Browns Chief of Staff Callie Brownson convicted of drunken driving in Brunswick; club vows to take 'appropriate disciplinary actions'". Cleveland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  15. ↑ Gordon, Grant (June 9, 2021). "Browns chief of staff Callie Brownson charged with operating a vehicle impaired". NFL.com. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  16. ↑ Trotter, Jake (June 9, 2021). "Browns chief of staff suspended after DUI". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.