Gary Brown

Gary Leroy Brown (July 1, 1969 – April 10, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a running back for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for three teams from 1991 to 1999. Brown played college football at Penn State and was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the eighth round of the 1991 NFL draft. He was also the running backs coach at the University of Wisconsin.

Playing for Williamsport Area High School in the mid-1980s, Brown accumulated over 4,000 yards and 74 touchdowns in his high school career. While at Penn State, he rushed 260 times for 1,321 yards and 11 touchdowns. In his junior season, Brown was moved to defensive back after being in a deep running back room which included Blair Thomas. Brown played for three teams during his time in the NFL and rushed for over 1,000 yards twice in his career, first with the Houston Oilers during the 1993 season with 1,002 yards and then for the New York Giants during the 1998 season with 1,063 yards.

After retiring from professional football following the 1999 season, Gary returned to Williamsport and was hired as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Williamsport High School, and at Lycoming College from 2003 to 2005. From 2006 to 2007, he served as offensive coordinator at Susquehanna University. In February 2008, he was named running backs coach at Rutgers University. Brown accepted a position with the Cleveland Browns in February 2009, as the running backs coach on Eric Mangini's staff. In February 2013, Brown was hired with the Dallas Cowboys as their running backs coach. In March 2021, Brown was hired as the running backs coach at the University of Wisconsin.

The 52-year-old coach and father of three had been in hospice care in his hometown of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, due to ongoing health concerns, which had led to him stepping down from coaching. Brown died April 10, 2022, from cancer.