Eddie Brown was an All-American wide receiver for the Miami football program in the pro-style offense instituted by legendary head coach Howard Schnellenberger in 1984.
Eddie Brown was an elite wide receiver for the Miami football program in 1983 and ’84 in what was at the time an innovative pro-style offense. In two seasons with the Hurricanes, Brown caught 89 passes for 1,754 yards and 14 touchdowns. Brown was a consensus All-American in 1984.
Brown had 59 receptions for 1,114 yards which still rank as the seventh and third-best single-season totals in Hurricanes history. Brown added nine TDs in his final season with Miami. The All-American left Miami with the career records in receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs.
The 220 receiving yards Brown had in the infamous Flutie Hail Mary game the day after Thanksgiving in 1984 stands as the Hurricanes single-game record. Brown had seven 100-yard receiving games in his career which was an exceptional number for his era. Brown was the first Miami player to record 1,000 receiving yards in a season.
The standard of excellence for the great WRs that followed in the history of Miami football was set by Brown. Michael Irvin, Brian Blades and Brett Perriman in the 1980s came right after Brown. Brown and Irvin both became All-Americans under Jimmy Johnson after he succeeded Schnellenberger in 1984.
After his stellar Miami football career, Brown was the 13th pick in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Brown played in Superbowl XXIII that Cincinnati lost to the San Francisco 49ers in Joe Robbie Stadium that is now the Hurricanes homefield known as Hard Rock Stadium.
Brown finished his NFL career with 363 receptions for 6,134 yards and 41 TDs. Those numbers place Brown, eight, sixth and fifth in Bengals history. Honorable mention for the best number 40 in Miami history go-to running backs Don Bosseler and Pete Banaszak. Bossler was an All-American and College Football Hall of Fame inductee.