Leonard Ray Brown Jr. (born December 12, 1962) is an American former professional football player and coach in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) He played as a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

for 20 season. He became a coach, last serving as the

offensive line coach In American football, a position coach is a team official in charge of coaching a specific position group. Position coaches have more specialized duties than the head coach, assistant coach, and the offensive and defensive coordinators. Common ...

for the Arizona Cardinals. Brown played college football for the

Memphis Tigers The Memphis Tigers are the athletic teams that represent the University of Memphis, located in Memphis, Tennessee. The teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the American Athletic C ...

and transferred to the

Arkansas State Red Wolves The Arkansas State Red Wolves are the athletic teams of Arkansas State University. They are a member of the Sun Belt Conference in all sports except women's bowling, a sport not sponsored by that league, competing at the National Collegiate Athleti ...

. He was selected by the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

in the eighth round of the

1986 NFL Draft The 1986 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 29–30, 1986, at the Marriott Marq ...

. He also played for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

, and Detroit Lions.

Playing career

Early years

Following graduation from Marion High School where he started at running back and tight end, he played college football for

The University of Memphis } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering, the Center for Ea ...

and transferred to

Arkansas State University Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osa ...

where Coach

Larry Lacewell Larry Lacewell (February 12, 1937 – May 17, 2022) was an American football player, coach, scout, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Arkansas State University from 1979 to 1989, compiling a record of ...

converted him to an offensive lineman.

National Football League

St Louis Cardinals Brown was drafted in the eighth round of the 1986 draft by the

. He wore number 62 with the Cardinals. In 1986 he played in 11 games, starting 4. In 1987 he played in 7 games. In 1988, with the Phoenix Cardinals he played 15 games. Washington Redskins In 1989 Brown signed with the Washington Redskins. He played 7 games that season. In 1990 he did not play in any games. In 1991 he missed the whole season because of an elbow injury. He came back the next season and over the next 4 seasons, he played in every game. San Francisco 49ers In 1996, Brown played with the 49ers. He played in all 16 games. In 1997 he played in 15 out of 16 games. In his 13th year in the NFL, he played all 16 games at the age of 35. He played in three more seasons for the 49ers, and even made the pro bowl in 2001. Detroit Lions Ray Brown played 2 seasons with the Detroit Lions from 2002-2003. Washington Redskins (2nd Stint) Brown played in 2004 and in 2005 with the Redskins. He announced his retirement January 14, 2006 after 20 seasons, the same day he started a playoff game for the Redskins. He is one of the oldest players to start a playoff game at the age of 43.

Coaching career

Washington Redskins

Brown was a special assistant coach for the Washington Redskins in 2006.

Buffalo Bills

Brown was hired as assistant offensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills on January 17, 2008. He was not retained by the Bills after the firing of head coach

Dick Jauron Richard Manuel Jauron (born October 7, 1950) is a former American football player and coach. He played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL), five with the Detroit Lions and three with the Cincinnati Bengals. Jauron served as the he ...

San Francisco 49ers

Brown was hired as offensive line coach for the San Francisco 49ers for the 2010 season.

Carolina Panthers

On January 25, 2011, Brown was announced as the assistant line coach for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

. In the 2015 season, Brown and the Panthers reached

Super Bowl 50 Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) cha ...

on February 7, 2016. The Panthers fell to the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

by a score of 24–10.

Arizona Cardinals

On February 14, 2018, Brown was hired by the Arizona Cardinals as their offensive line coach.

Notes and references

External links

Carolina Panthers bio

Buffalo Bills bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Ray 1962 births Living people American football offensive guards American football offensive tackles Arkansas State Red Wolves football players Buffalo Bills coaches Carolina Panthers coaches Detroit Lions players Memphis Tigers football players Phoenix Cardinals players San Francisco 49ers coaches San Francisco 49ers players St. Louis Cardinals (football) players Washington Redskins players National Conference Pro Bowl players People from Marion, Arkansas Sportspeople from the Memphis metropolitan area Players of American football from Arkansas African-American coaches of American football African-American players of American football National Football League replacement players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople