Mike Brown (American footballer)

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Mike Brown
Date of birth February 13, 1978
Place of birth Scottsdale, Arizona
Position(s) Strong safety
College Nebraska
NFL Draft 2000 / Round 2/ Pick 40
Pro Bowls 2006
Statistics
Team(s)
2000-present Chicago Bears

Mike Brown (born February 13, 1978 in Scottsdale, Arizona) is an American football safety for the Chicago Bears of the NFL. He was originally selected with the eighth pick of the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft out of the University of Nebraska. Mike is known for his aggressiveness on the field of play, and emotional approach to the game of football. During his latter years as a Chicago Bear, Brown established himself as a definitive leader for the Bears, both on and off the football field.

[edit] High school career

Mike Brown attended Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he starred in both football and baseball. In football he was an All-State choice, and ranked the top defensive back prospect by SuperPrep. In baseball, he was an All-State choice as a senior, after batting .426, and posting 27 stolen bases.

[edit] College career

Brown enjoyed a stellar college career and is still considered by many fans and experts of Nebraska football to be the greatest strong safety in the modern history of the school. He was especially noted for his textbook tackling skills.

[edit] NFL career

In the NFL, he earned a measure of fame for intercepting passes and returning them for game-winning overtime touchdowns in consecutive weeks in 2001.

He has been selected to the Pro Bowl following the 2001 and 2005 seasons, and is currently one of the top leaders of the Bears defense and team. After sustaining an Achilles injury after 12 games in 2005, the Bears defense was noticeably less effective . Brown tried to play in a January 2006 Divisional Playoff game for the Bears against the Carolina Panthers, but had to leave the game in the first quarter. The Panthers would go on to win the game, 29-21.

During week six of the 2006 Chicago Bears season, Brown received as Lisfranc fracture. The ailment forced him to undergo surgery, and sent him to Bears' injured reserve for the remainder of the season.