Gerald Brown

Biography

Gerald Brown’s first season in charge of the Falcons running backs drew immediate dividends as he helped Michael Turner explode onto the NFL scene in high fashion as a full-time starter for the first time in his career. Turner finished second in the League behind Vikings runner Adrian Peterson (by just 61 yards) with 1,699 rushing yards and set a franchise record with 17 rushing touchdowns. The 1,699 yards were the third-best season totals all-time in Falcons annals.

Under Brown’s leadership, Turner’s breakout year also included eight, 100-yard rushing games with a pair of impressive 200+yard contests. In his first game in a Falcons uniform all Turner did was shatter the team record for rushing yards in a game with 220 in a victory over the Detroit Lions. Turner then ended the regular season in similar fashion with a 208-yard outing against St. Louis. The 5-9, 244 human wrecking ball was second in NFL in MVP voting, earned a Pro Bowl nod for the first time in his career, and captured NFC offensive player of the week honors three times.

But Brown’s guidance was also witnessed in his dealings with dangerous fleet-footed runner Jerious Norwood. The second part of the backfield’s noted - one-two punch - Norwood proved to be a perfect compliment to the bruising style of Turner. Norwood averaged 5.1 yards per carry with his 489 yards on 95 carries and four touchdowns while also ending up fourth on the team in receptions with 36 for 338 more yards with two scores. Norwood and Turner also combined to register 62 rushes of 10+ yards with Turner’s 45 leading the NFL.

Before coming to Atlanta, Brown’s coaching career spanned 22 years, including the previous six seasons at Indiana University.

Brown’s coaching performance at Indiana in his first five seasons earned him the Assistant Head Coach title on top of his duties as Special Teams Co-Coordinator and Running Backs Coach in 2007. The Hooisers ranked third in the Big Ten in scoring offense in 2007 (31.7 points per game) while the team logged 157.4 rushing yards per game. With an assist from Brown, Indiana kicker Austin Starr led the conference in field goal percentage with a 91.3 mark (21 of 23). In 2006, Marcus Thigpen led the nation in kickoff return average (30.1) while the university led the nation in the category in 2004.

In Brown’s first five seasons at IU, Hoosier running backs averaged 1,549 rushing yards per season. In his first year (2002), Indiana gained 1,398 yards despite not having a running back with more than 90 career carries entering the ’02 campaign. In 2003, BenJarvus Green-Ellis became the seventh true freshman in Indiana history to rush for 100 yards in a game and just the third freshman to eclipse the 200-yard plateau in a single-game.

Prior to his stint at Indiana, Brown served as the Running Backs Coach for the Memphis Maniax of the XFL. His feature running back was former Heisman Trophy award winner Rashaan Salaam who held the league rushing lead before suffering an injury halfway through the season. Under Brown, the Maniax led the XFL in total offense, finishing second in rushing offense while averaging over 100 yards per game.

Brown calls the state of Tennessee home as the Sweetwater native spent his first 17 years of coaching in the state following his graduation from Memphis State University in 1982. For 10 seasons (1989-98), he was an Assistant Coach at Tennessee Tech University, serving in a capacity of roles including: Wide Receivers Coach, Special Teams Coach and Quarterbacks Coach with the Golden Eagles.

Tennessee Tech pieced together two of its best seasons while Brown was a member of the staff. From 1992-1993, the Golden Eagles posted a 15-7 overall record and a 13-3 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference. Brown also received two minority coaching fellowships with the New York Jets (1990) and the Miami Dolphins (1996). During those internships, he worked with some of the NFL’s best receivers including Al Toon, Rob Moore and Terence Mathis of the Jets and Fred Barnett, O.J. McDuffie and Charles Jordan of the Miami Dolphins.

In 1983, Brown got his coaching start at the University of Tennessee where he began as a Graduate Assistant. In 1984, he became and Administrative Assistant and served as the Volunteers’ scout and computer analyst. Brown was part of a Tennessee coaching staff for six seasons (1983-1988) and worked with seven All-Americans, including    Reggie White, Tim McGee and Anthony Miller.

Brown played as a wide receiver from 1979-1981 at Memphis State University and graduated as a scholar-athlete in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing/Transportation.

Brown and his wife, Jill, have one daughter, Caitlin.

Brown's Coaching Background

• 2008 -- Running Backs // Falcons
• 2007 -- Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs // Indiana
• 2006 -- Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs // Indiana
• 2002-2005 -- Running Backs // Indiana
• 2001 -- Running Backs // Memphis Maniax (XFL)
• 1989-1998 -- Assistant Coach // Tennessee Tech
• 1983-1988 -- Graduate Assistant // Tennessee