When Blackshirts Were Blackshirts: Ralph Brown
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July 10, 2008 by
When we think of cornerbacks, it’s easy to reduce their job to just pass coverage. But the best corners also bring the physicality and willingness to hit. Ralph Brown was exactly that kind of corner.
Pressed into starting duty as a true freshman from the season opener on, Brown punished teams for thinking he was someone they could pick on. Brown picked off four passes and batted away 12 others that year. In the 17-12 slugfest against #5 Colorado that year, he set a record by knocking away 7 passes. He would be named the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year.
By his sophomore year, teams learned to avoid his side of the field but he still did enough to finish the year as a first-team all-conference player. More memorable was the fumble he forced in the Orange Bowl against Tennessee that turned the momentum early in the game and helped deliver NU a national championship. For the second year in a row, he showed a knack for making the big play in the big game.
The 1998 season was not a great one for the team, but Brown excelled. He showed his toughness by amassing 46 tackles for the year and he still amassed 14 pass breakups. His fumble return for a touchdown against Kansas State that year was just another instance of a big play from Brown in a big game. The Huskers lost that game, but Brown boldy stated, "This is a one-year deal. We won't lose to K-State next year. You can put that one on me."
The 1999 season was a great one for the Husker defense in no small part due to Brown. He amassed 40 tackles and 15 pass breakups along with three interceptions. True to his word the Huskers would avenge their loss to Kansas State and Ralph did his part by returning a fumble to the Kansas State one-yard line early in the game. He was named both a team captain and a first-team All-American that year. In his final game, a Fiesta Bowl rematch, he amassed 8 tackles and a pass breakup. He graduated owning a 52-game starting streak, 50 pass break-ups, and 143 career tackles – all team records for an NU cornerback and highlighting his toughness and cover skills for four great seasons.
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Randy Jul 10 08
The only "true freshman" to be a starter in the first game of the season in modern Husker history.
Greg Morrow Jul 11 08
He and Mike Brown at safety- wow!
His recruiting class had some major talent. A small class, with some washouts. But the ones who stuck it out, were very very good. 4 All Americans, including Hochstein and big Carlos.
Too bad the Browns and Steve Warren didn't redshirt. Mike Brown once expressed regret, for that. He said he could've used the extra strength training time, before heading into the NFL. They would have been on the '00 team, which might have tipped things in Nebraska's favor, in one or more games. 3 extra, really good defensive guys, when that side was starting to decline.
I think Ralph is still on somebody's roster, heading into training camp.
James Moore Jul 13 08
Great career, great corner who came in ready to go. A gamer, through and through. The weird thing is for some reason I'll always remember him in that freak of a game against Troy Edwards and Louisiana Tech to begin the 1998 season. He deserves so much better from me. He learned how to be a winner from the get-go, and displayed all the characteristics of one throughout his whole career. . .