The University of Memphis is mourning the loss of Kippy Brown, a Hall of Famer whose place in Tigers history was built long before his coaching résumé stretched across college football and the NFL. Brown died Aug. 31 at 71.
Brown’s legacy at Memphis starts with the breakthrough itself: he was the first Black quarterback in Memphis football history. He played for the Tigers from 1974-77 and left a mark that still stands out in the program’s record book and memory.
His first season as Memphis’ starting quarterback set the tone. Brown helped lead the Tigers to a 31-20 upset of No.
7 Auburn and finished that year with a 7-4 record. Across his four seasons, Memphis never posted a losing record with Brown on the roster.
The recognition came later, but it came with force. Brown received the Billy J.
Murphy Award and was inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame in 2016. Three years later, in 2019, he was enshrined in the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
After his playing days, Brown built a long coaching career that took him back to Memphis (State) and also to Louisville and Tennessee. In the NFL, he worked for eight franchises: the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks.
Brown finished his coaching career with Seattle, serving on the Seahawks staff during their 2014 Super Bowl season.
Along the way, he coached an impressive list of players, including Dan Marino, Andre Johnson, Calvin "Megatron" Johnson, Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and Marshawn Lynch.
In Other News...
Memphis Has A Big Reason To Watch Boise State This Week
Boise State gets another crack at No. 2 Oregon this week, and for Memphis, it is the sort of game worth tracking closely. The Broncos have built a reputation as the standard-bearer among Group of Six programs, and early-season results have already put the spotlight on that tier as Memphis, North Dakota State, Fresno State and South Florida all try to make their own cases in the opening stretch.
The matchup also offers a useful measuring stick for what Boise State can be with its run game back in place. Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines give the Broncos a familiar kind of punch in the backfield, and their presence is a big part of why this rematch carries so much weight beyond Boise and Eugene. For Memphis, the appeal is obvious: if the Broncos can push one of the nations elite again, it only sharpens the conversation about where the Tigers fit in the wider Group of Six picture. [Read more 🡒]