Miami Football: 15 greatest players of the Jimmy Johnson era

• 21 Career Sacks-10th in Miami history, most by a DT
• 1986 Consensus All-American

Brown epitomized the toughness and swagger of the Johnson Miami teams. As a DT Brown has an astounding 183 tackles, 21 sacks, 19 TFLs, five forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries. Brown is the only DT in the top 10 in Miami history in sacks ranking 10th. Brown started in four New Year’s Day Bowl games.

Three of those four games had national championship implications for Miami. The Hurricanes won the title in the 1984 Orange Bowl but came up short in the 1986 Sugar Bowl and 1987 Fiesta Bowl. Brown was a consensus All-American and a finalist for the Lombardi and Outland Trophies in 1986.

Brown was a part of elite Miami defenses, particularly defensive lines that included Hawkins and Stubbs. Johnson inherited Brown from the Schnellenberger staff but helped turn him into an All-American. Following his elite Miami career, Brown played four seasons with Philadelphia before dying in a car accident.

Brown was a two-time first-team NFL All-Pro. The Miami Sports Hall of Fame inducted Brown posthumously in 1997. Brown was the fourth of six Miami DTs who earned All-American. He set the standard for Cortez Kennedy and Russell Maryland who played immediately after Brown at Miami.