Christopher Rejean Brown (born April 17, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado Buffales, earning first-team All-American honors in 2002. He was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft.

Chris Brown
No. 29, 22
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1981-04-17) April 17, 1981 (age 43)
Winfield, Illinois, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school:Naperville North
(Naperville, Illinois)
College:Colorado
NFL draft:2003 / round: 3 / pick: 93
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:3,024
Rushing average:4.2
Rushing touchdowns:19
Receptions:90
Receiving yards:741
Receiving touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Brown was named Prep Football Report and Super Prep All-American, first-team All-State, and Daily Herald first-team All-Area as senior at Naperville North High School in Naperville, Illinois, rushing for 1,250 yards and 15 touchdowns. He rushed for 2,300 yards and 30 touchdowns in his career at Naperville North, where he played with future Titans teammate Justin McCareins, as well as former Houston Texans defensive back Glenn Earl.

College career

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Brown was recruited by Gary Barnett at Northwestern University and signed with NU under new coach Randy Walker after Barnett took the Colorado head coaching job. Unhappy with being switched to receiver, Brown left Northwestern after the 1999 season and played a year at Fort Scott Junior College before transferring again to the University of Colorado. At Colorado, Barnett provided him an opportunity to become one of the school's all-time leading rushers, including a school record 6 TDs against Nebraska in 2001 during his sophomore season. Brown's success continued into 2002, playing himself into a dark-horse Heisman Trophy candidate, before a late-season injury derailed his season and caused him to miss 2 and a half games. To most Colorado fans' dismay, Brown elected to skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft.

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
6 ft 2+58 in
(1.90 m)
220 lb
(100 kg)
32 in
(0.81 m)
9+12 in
(0.24 m)
All values from NFL Combine[1]

Tennessee Titans

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Brown was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft,[2] with the 93rd overall selection.[3] As a rookie in 2003, Brown was not available to play during the preseason and five regular season games due to a hamstring injury. Although being behind two other backs, Brown averaged 3.9 yards per carry on 56 carries totaling 221 yards, the Titans' team high for the 2003 season. He also performed very well in the playoffs.

At the beginning of the 2004 season, Brown was promoted to starting running back due to the absence of Eddie George in the Titans' lineup. He had a strong start, and finished the season with 1,067 yards,[2] but several injuries forced him to miss significant time and also affected his play. He led the NFL in Yards per carry in 2004.

In January 2005, Brown underwent successful surgery on both ankles. In 2005, Brown ran for 851 yards. Brown has been criticized in the past for running too upright and not running as powerfully as other backs his size. In 2006, the Titans drafted LenDale White, a more traditional power runner, coupled with the emergence of Travis Henry, Brown was deactivated for several games during the 2006 season. Brown completed his contract with the Titans before leaving as a free agent to sign with the Houston Texans.

Brown rushed for a career-high 175 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 9, 2007.[4]

Houston Texans

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On March 13, 2008, Brown was signed by the Houston Texans to a two-year deal worth $3.6 million, including an $800,000 signing bonus.[5] Brown played well for the Texans, but his Week 3 fumble, his only of the season, against the Jacksonville Jaguars cost the team a chance to tie a game and force overtime. He also was intercepted on a halfback pass that was a poorly conceived play. Brown completed his two-year contract with the Texans.

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Rushing Receiving
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
2003 TEN 11 0 56 221 3.9 28 0 8 61 7.6 11 0
2004 TEN 11 11 220 1,067 4.9 52 6 20 147 7.4 21 0
2005 TEN 15 14 224 851 3.8 38 5 25 327 13.1 57 2
2006 TEN 5 3 41 156 3.8 21 0 2 4 2.0 4 0
2007 TEN 12 1 102 462 4.5 42 5 19 128 6.7 16 0
2009 HOU 14 4 79 267 3.4 13 3 16 74 4.6 12 0
68 33 722 3,024 4.2 52 19 90 741 8.2 57 2

Playoffs

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Year Team Games Rushing Receiving
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
2003 TEN 2 0 18 96 5.3 16 2 1 2 2.0 2 0
2007 TEN 1 1 4 13 3.3 5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
3 1 22 109 5.0 16 2 1 2 2.0 2 0

Personal life

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Brown is the younger brother of Levelle Brown, fullback formerly of the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League. Chris has a younger sister named LaShawndra Brown who played Division III basketball. Chris lives in Houston with his wife and three children.

References

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  1. ^ "Chris Brown College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Texans sign RB Chris Brown". houstontexans.com. March 13, 2008. Retrieved September 8, 2010. [dead link]
  3. ^ "2003 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  4. ^ "Head-to-head: Titans vs. Chargers". NFL.com. November 18, 2008. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  5. ^ "Texans sign Brown to 2-year contract". chron.com. March 13, 2008. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
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