Demetrius Brown facts for kids

Demetrius Brown, born around 1967, is a former American football player. He played as a quarterback for the University of Michigan Wolverines football team from 1985 to 1989. He was the main starting quarterback for the team in both the 1987 and 1988 seasons. Demetrius Brown made history as the first Michigan quarterback to lead the Wolverines to win two bowl games in a row. These victories were against Alabama in the 1988 Hall of Fame Bowl and against USC in the 1989 Rose Bowl. During the 1987 season, Brown also set Michigan school records for the most interceptions in a single game (seven) and in a season (16).

Growing Up

Demetrius Brown grew up in the Overtown area of Miami, Florida. His parents separated when he was young, and his mother raised him. He went to Miami Beach Senior High School. At Miami Beach High, Demetrius became the starting quarterback in his freshman year and played in that position for all four years of high school.

Playing for Michigan

Brown joined the University of Michigan in 1985. He did not play in many games during 1985 or 1986. This was because Jim Harbaugh was the main starting quarterback for Michigan at that time.

1987 Football Season

After Jim Harbaugh finished playing, Demetrius Brown became Michigan's starting quarterback in 1987. In his fifth game as a starter, against Michigan State, Brown threw a school record of seven interceptions. Michigan lost that game 17–11.

One week later, Brown had a fantastic game against Iowa. Iowa had the best pass defense in the country, but Brown threw three touchdown passes in the first half. He also ran for a touchdown. He had 190 passing yards and no interceptions, helping Michigan win 37–10.

Demetrius Brown played through the 1987 season with injuries to both of his thumbs. His left thumb (his throwing hand) was broken, and his right thumb was badly dislocated. In November 1987, Michigan's head coach, Bo Schembechler, praised Brown. He said, "I don't know if you like him or not, but that is one tough kid."

Brown and running back Jamie Morris led Michigan to a 28–24 victory over Alabama in the 1988 Hall of Fame Bowl. Morris scored three touchdowns. Brown then threw a game-winning 20-yard touchdown pass to John Kolesar with less than a minute left. The 1987 Michigan team, led by Brown, finished the season with eight wins and four losses. They scored 331 points while their opponents scored 172. Brown had 1,355 total yards of offense that season. This included 1,251 passing yards and 104 rushing yards. He also had a school record of 16 interceptions in 1987.

1988 Football Season

At the start of the 1988 season, Michael Taylor became the starting quarterback. However, Brown took over the starting role again after Taylor got a broken collarbone. After setting a record with 16 interceptions in 1987, Brown greatly improved in 1988. He threw zero interceptions in 84 passing attempts. For the whole season, Brown completed 48 of 84 passes for 775 yards and six touchdowns. Brown led the 1988 team to win the Big Ten Conference championship. They won their last five games of the regular season.

In the 1988 Michigan–Ohio State game, Brown completed 11 of 17 passes. He had a career-high 223 passing yards. He also threw touchdown passes of 57 yards to Greg McMurtry and 41 yards to John Kolesar. Brown's great performance helped Michigan beat Ohio State 34–31. This win secured the Big Ten football championship and a spot in the Rose Bowl.

Brown's last game for Michigan was the 1989 Rose Bowl. Before the game, a USC player predicted that they would intercept four of Brown's passes. Instead, Brown completed 11 of 24 passes for 144 yards. He threw a touchdown pass to Chris Calloway and had no interceptions. Michigan won the game 22–14. After the game, Brown joked with reporters, "I'd like to talk to Tracy Butts."

Career Highlights

During his time playing for Michigan, Demetrius Brown completed 128 of 252 passes. He gained 2,026 passing yards, threw 17 touchdowns, and had 16 interceptions. He also ran for 122 yards and scored five rushing touchdowns.