Gilbert Brown

With the Jayhawks, Brown helped build a winning program under head coach Glen Mason. He started all but two games in four seasons at KU (1989–92), and is still ranked ninth in the Kansas record books for career tackles-for-loss with 30.0. As a sophomore, Brown was named as the Jayhawks’ ‘Co-Defensive Most Valuable Player’ and earned second team All-Big Eight Conference recognition. He finished second on the team in sacks, tackles-for-loss and fumbles recovered as a junior 1991, while helping the Jayhawks hold opponents to an average of 150.9 yards per game on the ground. His senior campaign, Brown helped guide the Jayhawks to an 8-4 overall mark, including its 23-20 win over 25th-ranked BYU in the 1992 Aloha Bowl and a third-place finish in the Big 8. KU had wins over K-State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State during the middle of season as they reached as high as No. 13 in the Associated Press poll. Also a standout in the classroom, Brown earned Academic All-Big Eight honors in 1991. Following his Jayhawk career, Brown was tabbed to play in the 1992 Senior Bowl before going on to be a third-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 1993 NFL Draft. Brown ended up spending the majority of his NFL career playing for the Green Bay Packers (1993–99, 2001–03). He saw action in 125 games (103 starts), recording 292 tackles (186 solo) and seven sacks. Nicknamed “The Gravedigger,” in honor of his celebratory dance following a thunderous tackle, Brown played in 15 playoff games with the Packers. He was a major contributor on strong defenses during the mid-1990s and his best season was 1996, when he helped lead Green Bay to a Super Bowl XXXI title. In July 2008, Brown was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame.