Kippy Brown, the Sweetwater native who helped shape Tennessee’s wide receiver tradition and later won a Super Bowl with Seattle, has died. He was 71.
Brown’s football roots ran deep in East Tennessee. He led Sweetwater to back-to-back state championships in 1971 and 1972, then went on to play at Memphis State, now the University of Memphis. After his playing days ended, he started his coaching career there.
At Tennessee, Brown left a major mark over three separate stops. His first run came from 1983 to 1989, when he served as the Volunteers’ wide receivers coach and helped develop Carl Pickens, Alvin Harper, Tim McGee and Anthony Miller. That stretch helped cement Tennessee’s reputation as “Wide Receiver U.”
Brown later moved into the NFL in 1990, taking over as running backs coach for the New York Jets. He returned to Rocky Top in 1993 and joined Phillip Fulmer’s staff, beginning a second stint with the Volunteers.
From there, Brown spent time with five NFL teams between 1995 and 2008. He also spent one season as head coach of the XFL’s Memphis Maniax before making his third and final return to Tennessee in 2009.
His final five seasons in coaching came with the Seattle Seahawks, and that run ended with a Super Bowl XLVIII victory over Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Brown was later inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2019, alongside Manning.
Tennessee Football acknowledged Brown’s death on Tuesday, writing: “We mourn the passing of Kippy Brown, one of the greatest wide receivers coaches in Tennessee history. Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and former players.”
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