Courtney Brown (defensive end) facts for kids

Courtney Lanair Brown (born February 14, 1978) is a former American football player. He played as a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). Courtney played for seven seasons, mostly with the Cleveland Browns.

He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions. In 1999, he was recognized as one of the best college players in the country. The Cleveland Browns chose him as the very first player in the 2000 NFL draft. He also played for the Denver Broncos.

Courtney Brown faced challenges during his NFL career. He is sometimes mentioned alongside other players drafted by Cleveland who also had tough times.

Early Life and High School

Courtney Brown was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He grew up in a town called Alvin, South Carolina. He went to Macedonia High School.

In high school, he was an amazing linebacker in football. He was even named a high school All-American in his senior year. He also played tight end on the offense. Courtney won the Gatorade Player-of-the-Year award. He also played in the Shrine Bowl, a special football game.

Beyond football, Courtney was a talented basketball player. He played in the North/South All-Star game. He was also a great student, keeping a perfect 4.0 grade point average. He never missed a single day of school from kindergarten through 12th grade!

College Football Career

Courtney Brown went to Pennsylvania State University. He played for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team from 1996 to 1999. His coach was Joe Paterno.

At Penn State, he played alongside other future NFL stars like LaVar Arrington. In his senior year (1999), he was chosen for the first-team All-Big Ten team. He was also named a top All-American player. Courtney won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award. He also earned the Big Ten Defensive Linemen of the Year award.

He was a finalist for three big national awards. These were the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, and Lombardi Award. Courtney finished his college career with an NCAA record. He had 33 quarterback sacks and 70 tackles for a loss. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in integrative arts in 2000.

Professional Football Career

Joining the NFL

Before the NFL Draft, Courtney showed off his skills. Here are some of his measurements:

The Cleveland Browns picked Courtney Brown as the first player in the 2000 NFL draft. This was a big deal! He was only the eleventh defensive lineman ever to be picked first overall.

Playing for the Browns and Broncos

Courtney had a good first year as a rookie in 2000. He made 69 total tackles and 4.5 sacks. His second season was cut short because of an injury. But he still managed to get 4.5 sacks in just five games.

Unfortunately, Courtney had trouble staying healthy for the rest of his career. From 2002 to 2004, he played in only 26 games. He recorded nine sacks during that time. He finished his professional football career with the Denver Broncos in 2005. That season, the Broncos had a great record of 13 wins and 3 losses. They even beat the New England Patriots in the playoffs. The Patriots were led by Tom Brady and had won the Super Bowl two years in a row. The Broncos then lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. The Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl that year.

NFL Career Statistics

Here are some of Courtney Brown's statistics from his NFL career: