Ralph Brown (American football)
Encyclopedia
Ralph Davis Brown II is an American football
cornerback
who is currently a free agent
in the National Football League
. He has played with the New York Giants
, Minnesota Vikings
, Cleveland Browns
and Arizona Cardinals
.
at the University of Nebraska. He finished career with 143 tackles
, including 88 solo and is third on the Cornhuskers career list with 11 interceptions
and first with 253 interception return yards. Brown also set a school record with 50 pass deflections
. He was an All-America
first-team choice by Walter Camp
, College Football News
and the Sporting News as a senior in 1999. He was also a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award
, given to the top defensive back
in the country. From 1997-1998, he was an All-Big Twelve Conference first team selection. Brown was then an All-American third-team pick by the Associated Press
and College Football News in 1998. He became a member of the Big Twelve Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll in 1997. One of six true freshmen who saw action for the Huskers
in 1996, but the only one who earned a starting
role. Brown became the first position player at Nebraska to start his first game as a true freshman since World War II
.
in the fifth round (140th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft
by the New York Giants
. He played four seasons with the Giants from 2000-2003. In his first year Brown played in two games. He was inactive for season opener vs. Arizona
and saw his 1st NFL action at Philadelphia
, playing only on special teams. Only action was on special teams at Chicago
. He was forced to leave game in the 3rd quarter after taking a knee to the abdomen. Injury was diagnosed as a laceration to the kidney. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve
on October 2.
Next year played in eight games, with no starts and finished season with two assisted tackles on defense and five special teams tackles (4 solo).
2002 was his best year so far, he played in all 16 games, including his first two NFL starts, at St. Louis
and at Washington
. He was a reserve in NFC Wild Card game at San Francisco
. He began the season as the dime (sixth) cornerback, but also played nickel corner. He finished with 25 tackles (19 solo), one interception, one fumble
recovery, three passes defensed and eight special teams tackles (six solo).
In his last season with the Giants, Brown contributed in the secondary as a reserve and spot starter and on special teams, providing depth to the defensive backfield. He demonstrated nose for the ball on several key plays last season. Brown played in 11 games, starting seven. He missed three games with a shoulder injury and was assigned to injured reserve prior to Week 16 at Dallas
. He finished the season with 41 tackles (28 solo), one sack, one forced fumble, two interceptions and one touchdown.
He also played for the Minnesota Vikings
from 2004–2005 and Cleveland Browns
in 2006.
in La Puente, California
, where he was listed as the 2nd-best defensive back in the country by Blue Chip and named to the Dream Team. He was also named to USA Today
's 2nd-team All-America squad. He was seventh in the state in rushing with 2,246 yards on 311 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown in the Lancers' Division I championship win over Los Angeles' Loyola High
in 1995. He earned CIF Southern Section
Player of the Year and MVP, and the Los Angeles Times
Back-of-the-Year honors, scoring 29 times, including a school-record 6 in one game. Defensively, he had 57 tackles and six interceptions. He also lettered three times in track
.
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...
cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in 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...
. He has played with the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
College career
Brown played college footballCollege 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 the University of Nebraska. He finished career with 143 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
, including 88 solo and is third on the Cornhuskers career list with 11 interceptions
Interception (football)
An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...
and first with 253 interception return yards. Brown also set a school record with 50 pass deflections
Pass deflected
In American football a pass deflected, also known as a pass defended, a pass defensed, a pass knock down, or a pass break up, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player...
. He was an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
first-team choice by Walter Camp
Walter Camp Football Foundation
The Walter Camp Football Foundation is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA. The organization also presents various awards.-Awards:*Walter Camp Player of the Year*CT Player of the Year...
, College Football News
College Football News
College Football News is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis includes comparisons between teams, predictions of game outcomes and...
and the Sporting News as a senior in 1999. He was also a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award
Jim Thorpe Award
The Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport legend Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football since 1986...
, given to the top defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
in the country. From 1997-1998, he was an All-Big Twelve Conference first team selection. Brown was then an All-American third-team pick by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and College Football News in 1998. He became a member of the Big Twelve Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll in 1997. One of six true freshmen who saw action for the Huskers
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
in 1996, but the only one who earned a starting
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
role. Brown became the first position player at Nebraska to start his first game as a true freshman since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Professional career
He was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the fifth round (140th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He played four seasons with the Giants from 2000-2003. In his first year Brown played in two games. He was inactive for season opener vs. Arizona
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and saw his 1st NFL action at Philadelphia
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, playing only on special teams. Only action was on special teams at Chicago
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...
. He was forced to leave game in the 3rd quarter after taking a knee to the abdomen. Injury was diagnosed as a laceration to the kidney. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
on October 2.
Next year played in eight games, with no starts and finished season with two assisted tackles on defense and five special teams tackles (4 solo).
2002 was his best year so far, he played in all 16 games, including his first two NFL starts, at St. Louis
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
and at Washington
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. He was a reserve in NFC Wild Card game at San Francisco
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
. He began the season as the dime (sixth) cornerback, but also played nickel corner. He finished with 25 tackles (19 solo), one interception, one fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
recovery, three passes defensed and eight special teams tackles (six solo).
In his last season with the Giants, Brown contributed in the secondary as a reserve and spot starter and on special teams, providing depth to the defensive backfield. He demonstrated nose for the ball on several key plays last season. Brown played in 11 games, starting seven. He missed three games with a shoulder injury and was assigned to injured reserve prior to Week 16 at Dallas
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. He finished the season with 41 tackles (28 solo), one sack, one forced fumble, two interceptions and one touchdown.
He also played for the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
from 2004–2005 and Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 2006.
Personal
Brown attended Bishop Amat Memorial High SchoolBishop Amat Memorial High School
Bishop Amat Memorial High School is a co-ed Catholic high school serving the San Gabriel Valley in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and was founded in 1957. The campus is located in La Puente, California, approximately 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in Los Angeles County...
in La Puente, California
La Puente, California
La Puente is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 39,816 at the 2010 census.* City flower: The Golden Hibiscus* City colors: Green and White.-History:...
, where he was listed as the 2nd-best defensive back in the country by Blue Chip and named to the Dream Team. He was also named to USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
's 2nd-team All-America squad. He was seventh in the state in rushing with 2,246 yards on 311 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown in the Lancers' Division I championship win over Los Angeles' Loyola High
Loyola High School (Los Angeles)
Loyola High School of Los Angeles is a Jesuit preparatory school for young men. It is the oldest high school in Southern California, and one of the oldest in California...
in 1995. He earned CIF Southern Section
CIF Southern Section
C.I.F. Southern Section is the largest of the ten sections that comprise the California Interscholastic Federation . Its membership includes most public and private high schools in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Mono and Inyo counties, as...
Player of the Year and MVP, and the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
Back-of-the-Year honors, scoring 29 times, including a school-record 6 in one game. Defensively, he had 57 tackles and six interceptions. He also lettered three times in track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
.
See also
- History of the New York Giants (1994-present)