Cornell Brown joins the Norfolk State University football staff as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Brown comes to NSU from his alma mater, Virginia Tech, where he coached five seasons and enjoyed an All-American playing career.
Brown spent five seasons (2011-15) on Frank Beamer’s coaching staff at Virginia Tech, working with the Hokies defensive ends and outside linebackers. Virginia Tech went to bowl games following each of his five seasons on the coaching staff, including the 2011 Sugar Bowl against Michigan.
Brown joined the coaching ranks in 2005 as an assistant working with linebackers for the Cologne Centurions in the NFL-Europe League. Brown became a full time defensive line coach for the Frankfurt Galaxy the following year and helped the team to back-to-back World Bowl appearances, winning the league title in 2006. While coaching the defensive line, he helped develop free-agent tackle Remi Ayodele, who was a member of the New Orleans Saints’ Super Bowl XLIV championship team following the 2009 NFL season.
NFL-Europe’s schedule allowed Brown to also work as a graduate assistant coach at Virginia Tech during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. He helped develop defensive units that led the nation in total defense and scoring defense in ‘06 and were ranked third and fourth, respectively, in those categories in ‘07. He had a helping hand in developing draft choices Chris Ellis, Carlton Powell and Jason Worilds.
Brown attended Virginia Tech and played defensive end from 1993 through 1996, helping the Hokies to a bowl game each season.
Brown became the first Virginia Tech football player to gain consensus All-America honors as a junior when he was named to five first teams in 1995. Brown was a first-team A-A pick by AP, UPI, the Football Writers Association, The Sporting News and Football News. He finished the year with 103 total tackles, including a BIG EAST-leading 14 sacks. He was selected National Defensive Player of the Year by Football News.
In 1996, Brown missed three games, but still earned first-team honors from Walter Camp and second-team recognition from AP. He posted eight sacks, five other tackles behind the line, 19 quarterback hurries and 58 total tackles during the ’96 season.
Brown had his Tech jersey retired in 2002. He was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
A sixth-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens, the Lynchburg, Va., native played seven seasons in the NFL and was a member of the Ravens Super Bowl XXXV championship team.
Brown has a son, Enzo.
