Courtney Brown (defensive end)


 * For the current NFL cornerback, see Courtney Brown (cornerback). For other persons named Courtney Brown, see Courtney Brown.

Courtney Lanair Brown (born February 14, 1978) is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for Penn State University, and earned All-American honors. The Cleveland Browns selected him with the first overall pick of the 2000 NFL Draft, and he played professionally for the Browns and Denver Broncos of the NFL.

Early years
Brown was born in Charleston, South Carolina. Growing up in Alvin, South Carolina, he attended Macedonia High School and was a high school All-American linebacker his senior year. He also contributed on offense by playing tight end. Brown earned Gatorade Player-of-the-Year accolades in his senior year. He played in the Shrine Bowl. Brown was also an accomplished basketball star, playing in the North/South All-Star game. Throughout his high school career, he maintained a 4.0 grade point average.

College career
Brown attended Pennsylvania State University, where he played for coach Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions football team from 1996 to 2000. At Penn State, he was teammates with LaVar Arrington and Brandon Short. As senior in 1999, he was a first-team All-Big Ten selection, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American. Brown earned the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Linemen of the Year honors in his senior year. He was also a finalist for three national awards: Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award and Lombardi Award. He finished his college career with a NCAA record-breaking 33 quarterback sacks and 70 tackles for a loss.

He graduated from Penn State with a bachelor of arts degree in integrative arts in 2000.

Pre-draft
At the Penn State pro day Brown measured 6'4⅞" 271-pounds, ran a 4.52 seconds forty-yard dash, had a vertical leap of 37" and bench-pressed 225 pounds 26 times.

Cleveland Browns
Brown was drafted by the Browns first overall in the 2000 NFL Draft, making him the eleventh defensive lineman to be taken first overall in the 70-plus year history of the NFL Draft.

Brown had a productive rookie season, recording 70 total tackles and 4.5 sacks. His second season was cut short due to injury, but Brown recorded 4.5 sacks in 5 games. Brown had problems staying healthy for the rest of his career, and struggled on the field. From 2002-2004, Brown only played in 26 games and recorded just 8 sacks. He finished his professional football career with the Broncos in 2005.