Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Know Your Super Bowl XLII Thundering Herd Alumni: Troy Brown



Ok, so Troy Brown has been on the physically unable to perform list pretty much all season. Yes, his only stat on the season is a muffed punt. But he's still on the roster, and he's still Troy fucking Brown, my first childhood Herd hero.


He's made clutch catches in Super Bowls, earned three Super Bowl rings, returned punts for touchdowns in AFC title games, played in the secondary in playoff games, and even caused a fumble after a Tom Brady interception to help knock the Chargers out of the playofffs.


Here's a look back at the college career of the best teammate and most humble NFL star you could ever meet.




Troy Brown






















Position: Wide Receiver

Hometown: Barnwell, SC

Years at Marshall: 1991-1992

Draft: 198th pick (8th round) of 1993 draft by New England Patriots

Years in NFL: 15





Brown was a completely unknown JUCO prospect at one of the best junior colleges in Elk River, North Carolina, Lees-McRae. Luckily, the Herd found him, and he immediately became the star receiver on the team in 1991. I couldn't find any stats from that season so I'm going to say he had 4,500 yards receiving and 77 touchdowns. Give or take a few. In all seriousness, Troy did have a 99-yard TD catch against VMI during the season and helped lead the team to the I-AA national championship game, which they lost 25-17 to sweatervest's Youngstown State team.


Troy had 1,654 yards and 16 TD's in his 1992 senior season. More importantly, he was one of the leaders of the team that won Marshall's first national championship. In the 31-28 rematch against YSU in the title game, Brown caught a crucial 3rd down pass to keep the winning drive alive. In what would be a glimpse into his defensive future with the Patriots, Brown then intercepted Youngstown's hail mary to seal the title.


It's worth mentioning Troy still lives in Huntington during the off-season and does charitable work for the community.

Best YouTube Clip:

The interception. Bonus points for Jim Donnan's awkward reaction to the kiss given to him from a random fan.


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