Kippy Brown, a longtime NFL assistant coach whose career stretched from college football into a run of stops around the league, has died at 71.
Brown’s coaching path began at Memphis State in 1978. From there, he worked at Louisville and Tennessee before landing his first NFL role as the New York Jets’ running backs coach in 1990. That move launched what became a lengthy professional run on the NFL sideline.
After a short return to Tennessee in 1993, Brown went on to coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks. His final NFL job came in Seattle, where he served as wide receivers coach from 2010 to 2014.
Former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll paid tribute to Brown with a statement remembering both his personality and the way people responded to him. “He was a great friend to everybody, because he had such a positive, good, fun-loving spirit,” Carroll said.
“Everybody loved being around Kip. And he had a light about him, he wanted to have a good time and have fun and make things pleasant for everyone around him.
That’s why so many people have rallied around him in this last month or so and reached out to (his wife) Deon, being supportive and loving. He was a wonderful person, and my heart goes out to Deon and the family.
It’s a beautiful family.”
Doug Baldwin, who wideout for the Seahawks, also reflected on Brown’s impact in Seattle. “Kippy was the perfect person for us, for our group of guys who came in at that time-myself, Ricardo (Lockette), Jermaine, Golden, Sid,” Baldwin said. “Kippy and Sidney Rice paired really well together as being the elder statesmen in the room, helping us young guys get onboarded into the NFL life.”
In Other News...
Buccaneers May Already Regret Letting Jack Pyburn Get Away
Jack Pyburn did enough this summer to make the Buccaneers take notice, even if it was not enough to keep him on the 53-man roster. The undrafted rookie flashed throughout the preseason and finished with four sacks, tied for the most among edge defenders, while Todd Bowles publicly praised his work ethic and production before final cuts were made.
Now Tampa Bay has to watch him continue his rookie season in Kansas City after the Chiefs claimed him off waivers. For a Bucs team always looking for affordable pass-rush help, it is the kind of move that can linger a little longer than a typical roster decision, especially when a young edge rusher already showed he could make disruptive plays against NFL competition. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Suddenly Have A Real Path Back To The Top
Dan Graziano sees a real opening for the Buccaneers to climb back to the top of the NFC South this season, and it is not hard to see why the path looks cleaner than it has in recent years. Tampa Bay has a division that is widely expected to be vulnerable, and the Bucs bring back a quarterback in Baker Mayfield who has plenty riding on a contract year, plus a roster that should benefit from better health and some useful new additions on both sides of the ball.
For Tampa Bay, the appeal is not just that the division looks softer, but that the ingredients for a rebound are all in place at once. Mayfields motivation matters, the teams overall health matters, and the fresh talent around him matters too, especially for a group trying to turn last seasons momentum into something more durable. The question now is whether those pieces come together quickly enough to make the Buccaneers the team everyone else in the South is chasing. [Read more 🡒]
Bowles Sends Clear Message As Mayfield Pressure Builds In Tampa
Todd Bowles is trying to keep the focus where the Buccaneers want it, on football, even as Baker Mayfields contract situation continues to hover in the background. The head coach made it clear he believes Mayfield can still play at his best this season, a show of confidence that matters in Tampa because the quarterback is now operating with a new offensive coordinator in Zac Robinson, whose system is expected to suit him well.
Jason Licht has also signaled that the team will respect the deadline tied to the contract talks, but the larger priority remains getting ready for the start of the season. For Mayfield, the pressure is part of the job at this point, and for the Bucs it is about balancing the business side with the hope that continuity on offense can keep him settled when the games begin. [Read more 🡒]