Ruben Brown
Encyclopedia
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
.
Brown played nine seasons for the Bills and four more for the Chicago Bears
, starting all 181 games in which he played. He was a four-time All-Pro
and nine-time Pro Bowl
selection, including eight consecutive Pro Bowl selections with the Bills from 1996 to 2003. He is the older brother of former NFL linebacker Cornell Brown
.
. Brown was named to eight consecutive AFC
Pro Bowl
teams from 1996 to 2003.
In the final game of the 2003 season, the Bills sent Brown home, causing him to miss his first start since 1999. Brown was released by the Bills after the 2003 season.
in 2004. That season, he started only nine games due to injuries. He had a revival in his career in the 2006 season after the Bears made the Super Bowl
, and was named to the 2007 Pro Bowl
. In 2007, Brown played in 8 games before being placed on injured reserve
by the Bears on November 8, 2007 due to an injured shoulder.
Brown became a free agent
after the 2007 season. He had stated he would like to return to the Bears in the future but was uncertain whether he would actually return, commenting that he enjoyed his three-year stint with the Bears, and that it rejuvenated his career. The Bears did not plan on offering Brown a contract.
player Rob Ray
.
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...
guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
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...
. He was drafted by 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...
14th overall in the 1995 NFL Draft
1995 NFL Draft
The 1995 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 22–23, 1995 at the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City...
. He 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 Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
.
Brown played nine seasons for the Bills and four more for the 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...
, starting all 181 games in which he played. He was a four-time All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
and nine-time 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...
selection, including eight consecutive Pro Bowl selections with the Bills from 1996 to 2003. He is the older brother of former NFL linebacker Cornell Brown
Cornell Brown
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...
.
Buffalo Bills
Brown gained acclaim as the starting left guard for the Buffalo BillsBuffalo 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...
. Brown was named to eight consecutive AFC
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
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...
teams from 1996 to 2003.
In the final game of the 2003 season, the Bills sent Brown home, causing him to miss his first start since 1999. Brown was released by the Bills after the 2003 season.
Chicago Bears
Brown then signed with the Chicago BearsChicago 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...
in 2004. That season, he started only nine games due to injuries. He had a revival in his career in the 2006 season after the Bears made the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
, and was named to the 2007 Pro Bowl
2007 Pro Bowl
The 2007 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl took place on February 10, 2007, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game was held on a Saturday instead of the usual Sunday after the Super Bowl because of a request by broadcaster CBS....
. In 2007, Brown played in 8 games before being placed on 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...
by the Bears on November 8, 2007 due to an injured shoulder.
Brown became 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....
after the 2007 season. He had stated he would like to return to the Bears in the future but was uncertain whether he would actually return, commenting that he enjoyed his three-year stint with the Bears, and that it rejuvenated his career. The Bears did not plan on offering Brown a contract.
Retirement
After spending the 2008 season out of football, Brown officially announced his retirement on February 2, 2009.Broadcasting career
Brown currently co-hosts The Enforcers, a weekly television show in Buffalo, NY, with former Buffalo SabresBuffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
player Rob Ray
Rob Ray
Robert John Ray, nicknamed Rayzor is a Canadian sports broadcaster and former professional ice hockey player. He was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy by the National Hockey League in 1999 for leadership and humanitarianism....
.