Corwin Brown Position: Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs Alma Mater: Michigan '94

In his first season as defensive coordinator, Corwin Brown led Notre Dame to its best total defensive ranking since 2002. The Irish ranked 39th in total defense, 26 places higher than when it finished 65th in 2006, and allowed 357.0 yards per game. The strength of the defense was its secondary, demonstrated by the second-ranked pass defense in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Only Ohio State allowed fewer than the 161.58 yards per game the Irish permitted. In fact, the 161.58 yards passing allowed per game ranked as the best by an Irish defense since 1996 and the fifth best in the past 25 years.

As a coordinator, Brown helped put defensive end Trevor Laws in position to record a breakthrough season as he registered 112 tackles, the second-most ever by a Notre Dame defensive lineman. Laws led the nation in tackles by a defensive lineman and put himself into position to be one of the first defensive tackles selected in the 2008 NFL Draft. Safeties Tom Zbikowski and David Bruton both flourished from Brown's teaching as they each set career-highs for tackles. Zbikowski left Notre Dame as just the eighth player to reach the 300-tackle plateau and is the career leader for tackles by an Irish defensive back. Bruton had never started prior to the start of the '07 season and started 11 games at free safety while ranking third on the team and first in the secondary with 85 tackles.

Brown's primary position he worked with in '07 was the outside linebackers group and the growth made by multiple players in this position group is one reason why many people are very optimistic about the future of the Notre Dame defense. John Ryan started eight games as a sophomore at outside linebacker and ranked ninth on the team with 39 tackles. Two freshmen also saw their playing time increase as the season moved along as Kerry Neal and Brian Smith certainly showed flashes of bright futures. Neal started five games at outside linebacker while Smith started the final three contests and both made an impact every game they appeared. The duo combined to record 45 tackles for the season including 3.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, one interception, two passes broken up, one forced fumble and two recovered fumbles.

On January 19, 2007, Brown was hired as defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, highlighting his meteoric rise in the coaching profession. In the 14 years that preceded Notre Dame, Brown had the privilege to either play for or coach under some of the best defensive minds in collegiate and professional football. The list of Brown's mentors includes Super Bowl champion head coaches, NFL Coach of the Year's and an ACC Coach of the Year. Brown has studied under some of the best and most respected men in the profession including Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Romeo Crennel, Herm Edwards, Al Groh and Eric Mangini.

Brown moved to South Bend after coaching the defensive backs of the New York Jets for three years. During that span, the Jets intercepted 56 passes, tied for the fifth-most in the NFL from 2004-06. Of those 56 picks, Brown's defensive backs were responsible for 46. By contrast, in the three seasons prior to Brown's arrival, the Jets secondary had accounted for 36 interceptions. He helped turn veteran cornerbacks into Pro Bowl cornerbacks and took one rookie in 2004 and 2005 and developed them into solid contributors who started all 16 games in their first year.

In 2006, Brown was one of a few select coaches retained by first-year head coach Eric Mangini. Brown was part of a coaching staff with the Jets that generated six more wins than in 2005, tied for the second-best improvement in the 46-year history of the franchise. The Jets finished second in the AFC East and grabbed one of two wild card spots, marking the second time in three seasons that Brown was part of a playoff team with the Jets. His defensive secondary accounted for 14 of the team's 16 interceptions led by cornerback Andre Dyson and second-year safety Kerry Rhodes who each tallied four picks. Brown's defensive backs also prevented the big play as they allowed just 21 pass plays of 25 yards or longer. Only six NFL teams permitted fewer big plays.

In 2005, Brown oversaw a secondary that allowed an average of only 172.2 passing yards per game, second-best in the NFL, and recorded 18 of the team's 21 interceptions. Only one Jets team in the previous 17 seasons intercepted more passes in a single season than the 2005 squad. Defensive back Ty Law was selected for the Pro Bowl after he recorded a career-high 10 interceptions, tied for most in the league. Law's 10 pilfers were the thirdmost in Jets history and the best single-season total in 41 years. Brown also helped break two rookies into the starting line-up as Rhodes started all 16 games at safety and Justin Miller started the final eight contests at cornerback. Rhodes ranked third on the team with 108 tackles and was named to the All-Rookie Team by Pro Football Weekly and the Pro Football Writers of America.

Hired as the assistant special teams/assistant defensive backs coach by the Jets on Feb. 17, 2004, Brown was elevated to defensive backs coach by head coach Herm Edwards prior to the start of training camp. In his first season with the Jets, he helped a defense that featured seven new starters end the season ranked fourth in the NFL in points allowed per game, fifth in rushing yards allowed and seventh in total yards allowed. The Jets finished 10-6 and earned a wild card berth where they won an overtime thriller at San Diego but lost in overtime at Pittsburgh in the next round. Brown's defensive backfield was credited with 14 of the team's 19 interceptions, a 40 percent increase from the previous season. He helped develop 2004 fifth-round selection Erik Coleman into a solid player that started all 16 games at safety for the Jets in his rookie campaign becoming the first Jets player to accomplish that feat since 1988. He led the secondary while ranking third on the team with 88 tackles adding four interceptions, nine pass break-ups, two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Brown prepared Coleman well enough that he earned AFC Rookie Defensive Player of the Week honors after his first game and he was tabbed the AFC Rookie Defensive Player of the Month for September.

Brown received his first full-time coaching job on Jan. 12, 2001 as Al Groh hired him to be special teams coach at the University of Virginia. He was one of the initial hires announced to Groh's coaching staff as Brown moved into coaching following his retirement from the NFL.

In 2003, his punt return unit averaged 9.3 yards on 33 returns while the kickoff return team returned 32 kicks with a 24.8 yards per kickoff return average. After working with all- ACC punter Mike Abrams and veteran kicker David Greene in 2001, Brown oversaw a kicking game that featured two true freshmen, including a walk-on kicker, by the end of the 2002 regular season. Virginia had many special teams highlights during the 2002 regular season including a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown against No. 22 South Carolina and a 69-yard punt return for a score in the Continental Tire Bowl against No. 14 West Virginia. The Cavaliers punt coverage team allowed less than 10 yards per return for the first time since 1997 and the kickoff coverage team ranked second in the ACC in average return yards allowed per game against conference foes.

Brown retired in 2000 following an eightyear NFL career where he was a safety and special teams stalwart for three teams, starting 20 of the 120 games he played. He totaled 177 tackles in his NFL career and was credited with at least 10 special teams tackles in each season except his rookie year. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 1993 NFL Draft and played four seasons for the Patriots. Brown then signed with the New York Jets and played there from 1997-98 as Parcells, Belichick, Crennel, Groh and Weis all moved to the Big Apple from New England. While with the Jets, he was selected as the first alternate for the 1998 Pro Bowl as a special teams player. Brown finished his career playing two seasons with the Detroit Lions.

Brown got his first taste of coaching in 1996 as he served as a volunteer coach at Boston University while playing for the Patriots. After moving to the Jets, he was able to develop player evaluation skills as he worked with the Jets' coaches and scouts at the 1997 and 1998 NFL scouting combines.

A member of four Big Ten championship teams at Michigan, Brown played in three Rose Bowls during his time in Ann Arbor (1989- 1992). Recruited to the Wolverines by legendary head coach Bo Schembechler, Brown was a four-year letterwinner that finished with a 38-7-3 record and never finished a season ranked lower than seventh in the Associated Press poll. He was a tri-captain of the 1992 Wolverine team and also earned first-team all- Big Ten honors that season after ranking second on the squad with 82 tackles. Brown started every game as a junior and received second- team all-Big Ten accolades following a 71- tackle season. He majored in English and received his degree in 1994.

A native of Chicago, Ill., Brown was an allstate football player and lettered in track and field at Julian High School. Both of his parents taught in the Chicago Public School system and are now retired. His father, Albert, was a great athlete who turned down the chance at a professional baseball career because of his fear of flying. As a matter of fact, Albert took the train to all three of Corwin's Rose Bowl Games. Born April 25, 1970, he and his wife Melissa are the proud parents of one son, Corwin, Jr., and two daughters, Tayla and Jaedan.