Charles Henry “Kippy” Brown, who broke barriers as a quarterback at Memphis and later built a distinguished career as a college and NFL coach, has died at 71.
A Sweetwater, Tennessee, native, Brown became the first Black quarterback in the history of Memphis State ( now the University of Memphis) from 1974-77. He helped establish himself as one of the most consequential players in the program’s history, most famously directing a 31-20 upset of seventh-ranked Auburn in 1975.
Brown completed seven of 11 passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the victory, including a late touchdown pass that put the game beyond Auburn’s reach.
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Brown graduated from Memphis in 1977 and quickly moved into coaching. He began with the Tigers before spending a season at Louisville and then returning to Tennessee, where he became one of the architects of the program’s reputation as “Wide Receiver U.”
He also returned to Tennessee in the 1990s and again near the end of the decade, briefly serving as interim head coach in 2010.
Brown entered the NFL coaching ranks with the New York Jets in 1990, working with a staff that included Pete Carroll. In 1991, his running backs helped the Jets reach the playoffs for the first time since 1986.
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Brown’s NFL coaching career subsequently took him to Tampa Bay, Miami, Green Bay, Houston and Detroit. With the Dolphins, Brown served as offensive coordinator under Jimmy Johnson in 1998 and 1999.
Brown’s final NFL chapter came in Seattle, where Carroll hired him as the Seahawks’ wide receivers coach. Brown spent 2010 through 2014 with the team and helped develop receivers including Doug Baldwin, Golden Tate and Jermaine Kearse. His tenure culminated in Seattle’s first Super Bowl championship, a 43-8 demolition of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Brown retired from coaching in 2015. He was inducted into the Memphis M Club Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2019. He is survived by his wife, Deon, and two children.
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