Thomas Brown (American football coach)

Last updated

Thomas Brown
Chicago Bears
Position:Interim head coach
Personal information
Born: (1986-05-15) May 15, 1986 (age 38)
Tucker, Georgia, U.S.
Height:5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight:203 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High school: Tucker (Tucker)
College: Georgia (2004–2007)
NFL draft: 2008  / round: 6 / pick: 172
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
As a coach
As a player
  • Freshman All-SEC (2004)
Head coaching record
Regular season:0–3 (.000)
Record  at Pro Football Reference
Stats at Pro Football Reference   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Thomas Brown (born May 15, 1986) is an American professional football coach and former running back who is the interim head coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). Brown played college football at Georgia and played professionally in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns. He previously served as an assistant coach for several NFL and college football teams.

Contents

Playing career

College

Brown was a freshman All-SEC selection in 2004 after totaling 172 carries for 875 yards and eight touchdowns as well as 16 receptions for 150 yards, amassing 1,043 all-purpose yards. He had 100-yard games against Vanderbilt Commodores, Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats, and Wisconsin Badgers. In addition to his All-SEC selection, he was the recipient of the Offensive Newcomer of the Year Award and the team’s Victors Club Award.

Brown continued to be productive in his second year, starting all 12 games and leading the Bulldogs with 736 yards and four touchdowns on 147 attempts. He added 67 yards on six receptions and returned two kickoffs for 19 yards. His season-high of 146 rushing yards on 20 carries against South Carolina. A 9-yard halfback touchdown pass to quarterback Joe Tereshinski, playing for the injured D.J. Shockley, came against the Florida Gators. Brown also ran for a career-long 52-yard touchdown against West Virginia in the 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl.

In 2006, Brown started in five of seven games while registering 62 carries for 256 yards and one touchdown and also added seven catches for 71 yards. He returned 15 kickoffs for 379 yards with a school record 99-yard kickoff return against Tennessee. He averaged 100.9 all-purpose yards per game after tallying 706 for the season. A torn ACL against Vanderbilt sidelined Brown for the rest of the season.

Brown rushed for 779 yards on 148 attempts and 10 touchdowns in his senior season at Georgia in 2007 despite sitting out for three games with a broken collarbone and splitting playing time with talented redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno. [1] He also caught 10 passes for 84 yards and two scores. Returned 15 kickoffs for 333 yards (22.2 avg.) while amassing 1,196 all-purpose yards, an average of 119.6 yards per game.

During his senior season, Brown was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week after running for a career-high 180 yards and three touchdowns against the University of Mississippi. [2] [3] Appeared in 10 games, starting in six, including the 2008 Sugar Bowl against Hawaii.

National Football League

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 6+3⁄8 in
(1.69 m)		204 lb
(93 kg)		31 in
(0.79 m)		10 in
(0.25 m)		4.56 s1.56 s2.56 sN/A sN/A s36"10 ft 8 in
(3.25 m)		25 reps
Sources: [4] [5]

Atlanta Falcons

Brown was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL draft. [6] His rookie season was cut short by a horse collar tackle during the preseason, landing him on injured reserve. He was waived prior to the following season on September 5, 2009.

Cleveland Browns

Brown was signed to the Cleveland Browns practice squad on November 10, 2009. He was promoted to the active roster on January 2, 2010 after linebacker David Veikune was placed on injured reserve. He was released June 17, 2010.

Coaching career

Early coaching career

In 2012, Brown was hired as running backs coach for the Chattanooga Mocs. [7] In 2013, Brown was hired at the same position for the Marshall Thundering Herd. [8]

Wisconsin

On February 24, 2014, Brown was hired to be the Wisconsin Badgers running back coach. [9] During his tenure as the running back coach, running back Melvin Gordon set the school record for single-season rushing yards, with 2587 yards. [10]

Georgia

On February 16, 2015, Brown returned to his alma mater as the running backs coach at University of Georgia under head coach Mark Richt, under whom Brown played. [11] The move united the position coach of the 2014 NCAA rushing yards leader, Melvin Gordon, with one of the nation's most prolific returning running backs in Nick Chubb. [12]

Miami

On December 30, 2015, Brown was hired to be the running backs coach and offensive coordinator at the University of Miami, where he would work under Mark Richt again.

South Carolina

On January 9, 2019, Brown was named the running backs coach at the University of South Carolina.

Los Angeles Rams

On February 12, 2020, Brown was hired by the Los Angeles Rams as their running backs coach under head coach Sean McVay. He was given the additional title of assistant head coach on February 23, 2021. [13] Brown won Super Bowl LVI when the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23–20. [14] In 2022, he transitioned from running backs coach to the team’s tight ends coach while retaining the assistant head coach title.

Carolina Panthers

On February 17, 2023, Brown was hired by the Carolina Panthers as their offensive coordinator under head coach Frank Reich. [15] On October 16, after starting 0-6, Frank Reich ceded play calling to Brown. [16]

Chicago Bears

On January 30, 2024, Brown was hired by the Chicago Bears as their pass game coordinator under head coach Matt Eberflus. [17] On November 12, Brown was promoted to offensive coordinator following the firing of Shane Waldron. [18] On November 29, Brown was named interim head coach of the Bears following the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus after a 4–8 start of the 2024 season. [19]

Head coaching record

TeamYearRegular seasonPost season
WonLostTiesWin %FinishWonLostWin %Result
CHI 2024*030.0004th in NFC North————
Total 030.000———

*Interim head coach

Personal life

Brown and his wife, Jessica, have three children. [20]

Related Research Articles

Michael Martz is an American football coach. Best known for his coaching tenure with the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL), he served as the offensive coordinator for the Rams' Greatest Show on Turf offense in 1999 that led the franchise to its first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXIV. Martz subsequently served as the head coach of the Rams from 2000 to 2005, where his teams reached the playoffs four times, won two division titles, and achieved a franchise-best 14–2 record in 2001 en route to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Faulk</span> American football player and coach (born 1976)

Kevin Troy Faulk is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the LSU Tigers, receiving first-team All-American honors, and was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL draft. Faulk held a variety of offensive and special teams roles during his career and contributed to the franchise's first three Super Bowl titles. For his accomplishments in New England, he was inducted to the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2016. After retiring from the NFL, Faulk returned to LSU as a coach from 2018 to 2021. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadillac Williams</span> American football player and coach (born 1982)

Carnell Lamar "Cadillac" Williams is an American professional football coach and former running back who is the running backs coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the running backs coach at Auburn University from 2019 to 2023, he also served as their interim head coach in 2022, the first African American to hold the position in Auburn history.

Chad Akio Morton is an American professional football coach and former running back and kick/punt returner who is the running backs coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the running backs coach for the Seattle Seahawks from 2017 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Bieniemy</span> American football player and coach (born 1969)

Eric Bieniemy Jr. is an American football coach and former running back who most recently was the associate head coach and offensive coordinator for the UCLA Bruins. He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and is their all-time leader in rushing yards (3,940) and touchdowns (42). Bieniemy was also named a unanimous All-American and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting during their 1990 national championship season.

The Chicago Bears American football franchise is a charter member of the National Football League (NFL), and has played in all of the league's 100 seasons. The team has captured nine NFL championships – eight NFL championships and one Super Bowl – second most all time behind the Green Bay Packers. The franchise has also recorded more victories than any other franchise (739), retired the most uniform numbers (14), and have the most members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (29). The Bears have played in over a thousand games since becoming a charter member of the NFL in 1920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Nagy</span> American football coach and player (born 1978)

Matthew Nagy is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He was the head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2018 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeke Bratkowski</span> American football player and coach (1931–2019)

Edmund Raymond "Zeke" Bratkowski was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, and Green Bay Packers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hue Jackson</span> American football coach (born 1965)

Hue Jackson is an American football coach who is the assistant general manager at Georgia State University, a position he has held since 2024. An offensive assistant at both the collegiate and professional levels, he held coordinator positions in the National Football League (NFL) with the Washington Redskins in 2003, the Atlanta Falcons in 2007, the Oakland Raiders in 2010, and the Cincinnati Bengals from 2014 to 2015. He also served as the head coach of the Raiders in 2011 and Cleveland Browns from 2016 to 2018. Jackson compiled a 3–36–1 record with the Browns, including a winless season in 2017, which is the worst record among coaches who presided over an NFL team for at least 40 games. He later returned to coaching at the HBCU level, where he spent a season at Tennessee State University, and was the head coach at Grambling State University from 2022 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan McClendon</span> American football coach (born 1983)

Bryan McClendon is an American football coach who is currently the wide receivers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at the University of Georgia from 2022 to 2023. As well as the same roles at the University of Oregon from 2020 to 2021 and interim head coach in the Alamo Bowl in 2021.

Skip Peete is an American football coach who is the running backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). Prior to the Buccaneers, he coached running backs for the Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, and Oakland Raiders. He also has experience in college, coaching running backs for two years at UCLA, wide receivers at Michigan State and Rutgers, and both running backs and wide receivers at the University of Pittsburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Roland</span> American football player and coach (born 1943)

Johnny Earl Roland is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a running back for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1966 to 1972 and the New York Giants in 1973. Roland played college football for the Missouri Tigers, earning consensus All-American honors as a defensive back in 1965. He was the star running back of the first racially integrated high school team to win a Texas state football championship. After his playing days, he served as an assistant coach with the number of NFL teams and at the University of Notre Dame. Roland was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill O'Brien (American football)</span> American football coach (born 1969)

William James O'Brien, nicknamed "Teapot", is an American football coach who is currently the head coach at Boston College. Previously, he was the head coach of the Houston Texans from 2014 to 2020, and at Penn State from 2012 to 2013. Prior to Boston College, O'Brien was the offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama and for the New England Patriots. After the Patriots parted ways with longtime head coach Bill Belichick at the end of the 2023 season, O'Brien was not retained by the team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Getsy</span> American football player and coach (born 1984)

Luke John Getsy is an American football coach who was most recently the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears from 2022 to 2023.

Christopher Beatty is an American professional football coach who is the interim offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the wide receivers coach for the Bears in 2024 and the Los Angeles Chargers from 2021 to 2023.

Aaron Kromer is an American football coach who is the offensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). Kromer served as the interim head coach of the New Orleans Saints for the first six games of the 2012 season.

Dowell Loggains is an American football coach who currently serves as the head coach for the Appalachian State Mountaineers. He has been the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets. He played college football and served as tight ends coach at Arkansas and offensive coordinator at South Carolina before being hired by Appalachian State.

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

Matthew Charles Eberflus is an American professional football coach who most recently was the head coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 2022 to 2024. He also served as the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts from 2018 to 2021 and as the linebacker coach for the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys, and has coached at Toledo and Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Tabor</span> American football player and coach (born 1971)

Chris Tabor is an American football coach who last served as interim head coach and special teams coordinator for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He has also served as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns and the Chicago Bears, and has more than 20 years of coaching experience between the high school, collegiate and professional levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Chicago Bears season</span> 105th season in franchise history

The 2024 season is the Chicago Bears' 105th season in the National Football League (NFL), their third under general manager Ryan Poles, and their third and final under head coach Matt Eberflus. The Bears failed to improve on their 7-10 record from 2023 following a Week 15 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. The team was featured during the training camp edition of the HBO show Hard Knocks.

References

  1. ↑ Thomas Brown Stats ESPN, retrieved January 23, 2008
  2. ↑ Georgia’s Thomas Brown Named SEC Offensive Player Of The Week [ permanent dead link ] University of Georgia, retrieved January 23, 2008
  3. ↑ Staff Report. "Brown named SEC Offensive Player of the Week". Scout.com. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  4. ↑ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Thomas Brown College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Thomas Brown, Combine Results, RB – Georgia". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  6. ↑ "2008 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  7. ↑ Frierson, John (February 15, 2012). "UTC hires ex-UGA running back Thomas Brown". Chattanooga Times Free Press.
  8. ↑ "Marshall hires football assistant". The Herald-Dispatch. March 21, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Wisconsin hires running back coach". uwbadgers.com. February 24, 2014. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  10. ↑ "The Big Cheese: How Melvin Gordon ran toward college football history". si.com. December 9, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Georgia hires Wisconsin RB coach Thomas Brown". cbssports.com. February 16, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Coming Home". ugasports.com. February 16, 2015.
  13. ↑ Jackson, Stu (February 23, 2021). "Rams finalize 2021 coaching staff". TheRams.com. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Super Bowl LVI – Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals – February 13th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Carolina Panthers hire Thomas Brown as offensive coordinator". ESPN.com. February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Panthers' Frank Reich ceding playcalling to OC Thomas Brown". ESPN.com. October 16, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Report: Thomas Brown joining Bears as pass game coordinator". NBC Sports. January 31, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Bears relieve Waldron of duties, promote Brown". chicagobears.com. Chicago Bears . Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Bears relieve Eberflus of duties, elevate Brown". Chicago Bears. November 29, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Thomas Brown – Chicago Bears Profile". Chicago Bears . Retrieved November 12, 2024.
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.