James Brown (football player)

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James Brown
Date of birth	May 17, 1975 (age 31)
Place of birth	Beaumont, Texas
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Position(s)	QB
College	Texas
Career Highlights
Awards	1995 SWC Offensive Player of the Year

James Brown (born May 17, 1975 in Beaumont, Texas) is an American football quarterback. He was the starting quarterback of the Texas Longhorns from 1994 to 1997. At the time, he was only the second black quarterback to guide Texas through an entire season, and is credited for "opening doors" for future black quarterbacks at Texas, such as Vince Young.^[1]

The Beaumont, Texas, native and West Brook Senior High School graduate came to UT as the state's top quarterback prospect, and, after redshirting in 1993, he went on to turn in a record-setting career. Brown finished with 30 Longhorn records, including passing yards (7,638), total offense (8,049) and touchdown passes (53). A team captain in 1997, Brown became the first Longhorn quarterback in 20 years to earn first-team All-Southwest Conference (SWC) honors (Marty Akins, 1975) en route to leading Texas to the final SWC Championship, a 10-2-1 record, and a berth in the Sugar bowl in 1995. He was also named SWC Offensive Player of the Year that season. In 1996, Brown guided Texas through a late season surge that was capped off by a stunning upset of defending National Champion Nebraska in the inaugural Big 12 championship game.

Considered too small at 6'0", Brown has never played in the NFL. As a professional, Brown had a tryout in the Canadian Football League and spent four seasons at various levels in the Arena League. In 2003, he signed with the Frankfurt Galaxy of the NFL Europe.^[2]