Cornell Brown
Encyclopedia
Cornell Desmond Brown is the outside linebackers and assistant defensive line coach for Virginia Tech, and a former American football
linebacker
who played for the Baltimore Ravens
of the National Football League
from 1997-2004. His brother, Ruben Brown
was a Pro Bowl
offensive lineman for the Buffalo Bills
and Chicago Bears
.
Brown played college football
at Virginia Tech
, earning first-team All-America honors as a defensive end in 1995 and 1996, and was drafted out of Blacksburg by the Ravens in the sixth round of the 1997 NFL Draft
. He played high school football
for E.C. Glass in Lynchburg, Virginia
, and led the Hilltoppers to a state championship in his senior year in the 1992–1993 season.
Brown began his coaching career as an intern with the NFL Europe
Cologne Centurions
in 2005, then spent 2006 and 2007 as defensive line coach for the Frankfurt Galaxy
in the spring and a graduate assistant on Frank Beamer
's Virginia Tech staff in the fall, being inducted into the Tech Hall of Fame in 2007. Brown joined the Calgary staff in 2008.
In 2011 Brown was hired by Virginia Tech as an assistant coach.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
who played for the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
from 1997-2004. His brother, Ruben Brown
Ruben Brown
Ruben Parnell Brown is a former American football guard of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills 14th overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh....
was a Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
offensive lineman for the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Brown played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Virginia Tech
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in...
, earning first-team All-America honors as a defensive end in 1995 and 1996, and was drafted out of Blacksburg by the Ravens in the sixth round of the 1997 NFL Draft
1997 NFL Draft
The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that...
. He played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
for E.C. Glass in Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
, and led the Hilltoppers to a state championship in his senior year in the 1992–1993 season.
Brown began his coaching career as an intern with the NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
Cologne Centurions
Cologne Centurions
The Cologne Centurions were an American football team that played in NFL Europe. The Centurions began competing in the league in the 2004 season, having replaced the defunct Barcelona Dragons. They played their home games at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne....
in 2005, then spent 2006 and 2007 as defensive line coach for the Frankfurt Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy
The Frankfurt Galaxy was a professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991, the...
in the spring and a graduate assistant on Frank Beamer
Frank Beamer
Frank Beamer is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , a position he has held since 1987. From 1981 to 1986, Beamer served as the head coach at Murray State University...
's Virginia Tech staff in the fall, being inducted into the Tech Hall of Fame in 2007. Brown joined the Calgary staff in 2008.
In 2011 Brown was hired by Virginia Tech as an assistant coach.