Curtis Jamall Brown (born September 24, 1988) is an American former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
Texas Longhorns where he helped them reach the 2010 BCS National Championship game. He was selected in the third round of the
2011 NFL draft by the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
, played three seasons for them and also spent time with the New York Jets and Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Early life
Brown played
high school football
High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...
at
Gilmer, Texas
Gilmer is a city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, Texas, United States. It is best known for being the home of the East Texas Yamboree and the birthplace of popular music singers Don Henley of the Eagles band and Johnny Mathis, as wel ...
, along with fellow high school stars
Manuel Johnson, Justin Johnson,
G. J. Kinne, and
David Snow. He starred at both CB and WR, winning a state championship in 2004 as a sophomore. He was ranked as a 5-star prospect by most major recruiting sites, and chose to attend the University of Texas.
College career
Brown played cornerback at the University of Texas from 2007 to 2010.
He started playing as a freshman and helped the Longhorns to win the
Holiday Bowl that year, while playing in all 13 games. In his sophomore year, the Longhorns went 12-1, finished ranked #3/#4 won a share of the Big-12 South and the
Fiesta Bowl, but missed out on the Big 12 Championship, and a shot at the National Championship, by the 5th tie-breaker.
As a junior in 2009, Brown was named an honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference player by ''
Pro Football Weekly'' and the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
. The Longhorns won the Big 12 Championship and went to the
BCS Championship for only the 2nd time in school history, which they lost to Alabama.
In his senior year, he was named 2nd team All-Big 12.
He finished his career at Texas with 105 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, a blocked punt and 2 interceptions, both of which were returned for over 70 yards and resulted in one touchdown.
Following his senior year, he participated in the 2010 Senior Bowl.
Professional career
Pittsburgh Steelers
Brown was selected by the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
in the 3rd round, 95th overall in the
2011 NFL draft. He played in 34 games over three seasons, but he spent time in each season on the injured reserve. He was released by the Steelers on March 5, 2014, along with
Levi Brown and
Larry Foote, after failing to pass his physical. The release came after Brown played in only seven games and recorded just seven tackles before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament.
New York Jets
Brown was signed by the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
on February 10, 2015. He was waived on August 30, 2015.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
In January of 2016 Brown was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but he was cut before the season started.
Personal life
Brown's uncle,
Hosea Taylor, played in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
for the
Baltimore Colts from 1981 to 1983.
References
External links
Texas Longhorns bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Curtis
1988 births
Living people
American football cornerbacks
Texas Longhorns football players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
New York Jets players
Players of American football from Longview, Texas
21st-century African-American sportsmen
21st-century American sportsmen
20th-century African-American sportsmen
20th-century American sportsmen