Ivory Lee Brown
No. 33
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1969-08-17) August 17, 1969 (age 54)
Palestine, Texas
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:Palestine (TX)
College:Arkansas–Pine Bluff
NFL draft:1991 / Round: 7 / Pick: 171
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:194
Rushing average:2.9
Rushing TDs:2
Player stats at NFL.com

Ivory Lee Brown (born August 17, 1969)[1] is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League and World League of American Football. He played for the Phoenix Cardinals of the NFL[2] and the San Antonio Riders of the WLAF.[3] Brown is the uncle of former NFL running back Adrian Peterson.[4][5][6]

College career

Brown was born in Palestine, Texas, and was a highly recruited running back out Palestine High School. He rushed for 1,800 yards as a senior in 1986, and was the rated the #2 recruit in Texas.[5][7] Brown originally intended to sign with Texas A&M University out of high school, but due to SAT problems, he attended Tyler Junior College instead.[8][9] While at junior college, Brown was recruited to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff by head coach Archie "Gunslinger" Cooley.[7] Cooley had formerly coached Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice at Mississippi Valley State University, and had recently come to UAPB, which was an NAIA school at the time. In 1989, Brown's first season with the Golden Lions, he led the NAIA in rushing with 1,465 yards, averaging 8.3 yards per carry.[10]

Professional career

NFL

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+5⁄8 in
(1.87 m) 		243 lb
(110 kg) 		32+1⁄2 in
(0.83 m) 		9+5⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 4.70 s 1.69 s 2.77 s 4.78 s 36.0 in
(0.91 m)		 10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)		 7 reps
All values from NFL Combine[11]

Brown was drafted by the Phoenix Cardinals in the seventh round (171st pick overall) of the 1991 NFL Draft.[12] He was placed on the team's developmental squad, and did not see any playing time during his rookie season.[13]

WLAF

The San Antonio Riders of the fledgling World League of American Football signed Ivory Lee Brown in 1992 to replace running back Ricky Blake, who had signed with the Dallas Cowboys at the conclusion of the 1991 season. Brown played with the Riders in 1992 and won the league's rushing title with 767 yards. Brown's efforts helped the Riders to a 7–3 record, and he was named first-team All World League,[14][15] giving him an opportunity to return to the Cardinals for the 1992 NFL regular season.

Return to the NFL

Brown emerged as a potential starter due to running back Johnny Johnson's unexpected pre-season holdout.[16] Brown played in seven games, starting five, during the 1992 NFL season, but did not make the Cardinals roster in 1993 and later retired.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ivory Lee Brown Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  2. ^ "Ivory Lee Brown." www.nfl.com. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  3. ^ "Ivory Lee Brown Career Stats." The Football Database. www.footballdb.com. Retrieved June 15, 2011
  4. ^ "Adrian Peterson." www.jockbio.com. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  5. ^ a b Stark, Shane. "Sons continue Brown's legacy in Palestine." www.etfinalscore.com, September 8, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  6. ^ Loveless, Lee. "Palestine High School Wall of Honor: Richard Farris and Ivory Lee Brown." Palestine Herald-Press, July 20, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Murphy, Austin. "Treasure Hunt." Sports Illustrated, September 3, 1990. SI Vault. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  8. ^ "Tyler Junior College Sports Circle of Honor: Ivory Lee Brown (2013)." www.tjc.edu. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  9. ^ "Football in the Pros: Ivory Lee Brown." www.apacheathletics.com. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  10. ^ "Football Regular Season Records." www.naia.org. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  11. ^ "Ivory Lee Brown, Combine Results, RB - Arkansas-Pine Bluff". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  12. ^ "1991 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  13. ^ "1991 NFL Draft." Archived October 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine www.databasefootball.com. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  14. ^ "Ivory Lee Brown." Lee's Autograph Hall of Fame. www.leen8d.com. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  15. ^ "1992 WLAF rushing leaders." www.footballdb.com. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  16. ^ Associated Press."Johnny who? Ivory Lee Brown replacing holdout in backfield and in fans hearts." Kingman Daily Miner, August 30, 1992. Retrieved June 14, 2013.

External links

Phoenix Cardinals 1991 NFL draft selections
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