BYU Football History Book: Curtis Brown

Before Harvey Unga set records for BYU football, and before Jamaal Williams broke them, Curtis Brown was the man in Provo.

Curtis Brown did a little bit of everything for BYU football from 2002-06.

He was an incredibly gifted runner, a solid receiver and returner, and is one of the best in Cougar history.

Let’s remember all Brown did in a BYU football uniform.

Freshman (2002)

12 games, 72 carries, 299 yards, 4 touchdowns; 15 receptions, 114 yards; 9 kick returns, 178 yards.

Sophomore (2004)

11 games, 158 carries, 789 yards, 6 touchdowns; 27 receptions, 175 yards; 1-for-1 passing, 40 yards, 1 touchdown.

Junior (2005)

11 games, 210 carries, 1,123 yards, 14 touchdowns; 53 receptions, 454 yards, 2 touchdowns.

Senior (2006)

13 games, 201 carries, 1,010 yards, 7 touchdowns; 62 receptions, 566 yards, 3 touchdowns; 13 kick returns, 288 yards.

Brown was a two-time First Team All-Mountain West player, and the first Cougar to post back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons.

This was after he considered transferring from BYU after his freshman year.

He would’ve had plenty of options too. Before deciding on BYU football, Brown was recruited by Clemson, UCLA and Washington State.

Brown struggled to adapt to BYU, but eventually joined the LDS Church and flourished with BYU football. Fans were sure happy he stayed, because they had already seen flashes of what Brown could do.

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Against Utah State in 2002, Brown came into the game to replace Marcus Whalen. He proceeded to dice up the Aggies defense for 217 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries. He also caught four passes for 49 yards.

When Brown’s BYU career was finished, he was the Cougars’ all-time leading rusher (3,193 yards). He then went on to sign as an undrafted free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Brown played in all four preseason games in 2007, but he did not make the final roster. Still, that doesn’t diminish the impressive career Brown had in Provo.