Courtney Brown (defensive back)
Courtney Leonard Brown is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He was also a member of the New York Giants.
Early life
Brown attended Saint Mary's College High School, where he played as a cornerback and wide receiver. He received all-league honors at defensive back as a senior. In track, he qualified for the CIF State Finals. He was a four-year honor-roll member.He accepted a football scholarship from California Polytechnic State University, a Division I-AA school. In 2002, he started as a true freshman at wide receiver and caught nine passes for 139 yards. In 2003, he was moved to left cornerback where he started six out of the eight games he appeared in, finishing with 16 tackles, two interceptions and one pass defensed. He missed the last three games with an ankle sprain.
In 2004, he sustained a season-ending left knee injury in the season opener against Humboldt State. In 2005, he started at right cornerback, intercepting seven passes, breaking up 12 passes and making 44 tackles. He was selected for All-Great West Conference First Team honors following the year.
As a senior in 2006, he played in 11 games, registering 51 tackles, one interception and seven passes defensed. He allowed only 29 receptions and no touchdowns from opponents. He finished his college career with 31 starts, 111 tackles, 10 interceptions, 22 passes defensed and nine receptions for 139 yards.
At a pro day event hosted by San Jose State on March 6, 2007, Brown recorded a 40-yard dash time of 4.32 seconds.
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys
Brown was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL draft. Brown came up with an interception during a preseason game at Minnesota on August 30. The team decided to keep him instead of Abram Elam during the last cuts of the preseason on September 2, which was a decision they would later come to regret. On September 26, he suffered a left biceps injury in practice and was inactive for five games. He played in eight games and had two defensive tackles, four special teams tackles and one fumble recovery.In 2008, he was switched to strong safety, recording one start, six tackles and three special teams tackles. He was waived on September 5, 2009, because of his tackling limitations.