Cornell Brown - Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Cornell Brown

Title:
Assistant Coach (Defensive Line)
Email:
Phone:
419-372-7083

Coach Brown
Hometown	Lynchburg, Va.
College	Virginia Tech (2000, BS)
Coaching History
2005	Virginia Tech, Director of HS Relations
2005	Cologne Centurions (NFL Europe), Defensive Line
2006	Frankfurt Galaxy (NFL Europe), Def. Line
2006-08	Virginia Tech, Graduate Assistant
2008-10	Calgary Stampeders (CFL), Def. Line
2011-15	Virginia Tech, Outside Linebackers
2016	Norfolk State, Defensive Coordinator
2017-20	Marshall, Defensive Line
2021	Tarleton State, Defensive Line
2022	Calgary Stampeders (CFL), Def. Line
2023	New Orleans Breakers (CFL), Def. Line
2024	Bowling Green, Defensive Line

Cornell Brown joined Scot Loeffler's staff in February 2024 as the defensive line coach. Loeffler, who has previously worked with Loeffler at Virginia Tech (2013-15), comes to Bowling Green after spending the 2023 season in the USFL with the New Orleans Breakers. He previously was was tabbed to coach the Memphis Showboats in the merged UFL in 2024 before coming to BGSU.

Brown comes to BGSU with 19 years of coaching experience after a stellar seven-year NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders, highlighted by Baltimore’s Super Bowl XXXV championship.

In 2023 Brown was the defensive line coach for the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers. Under his guidance Keonte Shcad (7.0) and Anree Saint-Amour (6.0) finished No. 2 and No. 3 in the USFL in sacks. In 2022 Brown enjoyed his second stint as the defensive line coach for the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL. While in Calgary in 2022 the Stampeders led the CFL in sacks (56.0) and Brown coached the Western Defensive Player of the Year, Shawn Lemon. Defensive tackle Mike Rose was a first-team Western All-Star and defensive end Shawn Lemon was a first-team All-CFL.

Prior to his time in the CFL Brown spent one year as the defensive line coach at Tarleton State in 2021. Brown came to Tarleton after four years spent coaching at Marshall, one season as the co-defensive coordinator at Norfolk State University and six seasons on the sidelines of his alma mater, Virginia Tech.

Brown, a Virginia Tech alum and two-time first-team All-American, is considered by many to be the first high-profile recruit of the Frank Beamer era. Brown, a defensive end, started four seasons for the Hokies and helped them to a 37-11 overall record, four-straight bowl games and a pair Big East Conference championships during that span. In 1995, he led the Big East in sacks and led the Hokies to a 10-2 record and their first Big East championship and a Sugar Bowl win over Texas. Football News named him National Defensive Player of the Year. After helping Virginia Tech to a share of the conference title and a berth in the Orange Bowl in 1996, he was named a first-team All-American. Brown’s 36 career sacks at Virginia Tech ranks second all-time, behind only Bruce Smith.

In the 1997 NFL draft, Brown was selected in the sixth round by the Baltimore Ravens where he played linebacker for the duration of his seven-year NFL career (1997-2004). Brown earned a Super Bowl XXXV ring with the Baltimore Ravens in 2000. Including time with the Oakland Raiders and a second stint with the Ravens, Brown played seven seasons in the NFL and played in 108 games with 25 starts. He made 147 tackles, seven sacks and three forced fumbles. Brown’s Virginia Tech jersey was retired in 2002, and he was later inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

Following his playing career, Brown entered the coaching world in 2010 at his alma mater. He was a linebackers coach for Virginia Tech for six seasons before spending one year at Norfolk State and the last four at Marshall, where he coached defensive ends. While at Marshall the Thundering Herd finished No. 1 in the nation in defensive scoring (2020), No. 2 in total defense (2020), No. 3 in red zone defense (2020) and No. 5 (2020) in defense against the rush.

During his time with the Thundering Herd, Brown mentored Ty Tyler and Darius Hodge into two of the best pass rushers in the conference. Tyler was an all-conference second team selection in 2018 with 9.0 sacks. In 2019, Hodge led the team with 8.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks. Hodge went on to earn first-team All-Conference honors in 2020.

Brown started his coaching career in 2005 as the director of high school relations for Virginia Tech football. He then moved on to the NFL Europe in 2005 and 2006 as a linebacker coach with the Cologne Centurions (2005) and a defensive line coach with the Frankfurt Galaxy (2006). While with Frankfurt Brown coached All-World League performer Jerome Nichols and the Galaxy won the World Bowl championship in 2006.

Brown graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor of science in housing, interior design and resource management in 2000 and a master's degree in academics in 2006.