Former Dallas Cowboys, Wisconsin coach Gary Brown dead at 52

Former NFL running back and running backs coach Gary Brown died on Sunday evening, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He was 52 years old. Brown had spent the past few weeks in hospice in his hometown of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, according to Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk. The former Dallas Cowboys assistant had been battling medical issues including two battles with cancer.

He was the running backs coach for the Wisconsin Badgers in 2021. As a player, he was selected by the Houston Oilers in the eighth round of the 1991 NFL Draft. During his NFL playing career, he played five seasons with the Oilers, one with the LA Chargers, and two with the New York Giants.

During his eight years in the National Football League, Brown played in 99 games, starting 47 of them. He shredded opposing defenses to the tune of 4,931 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns on 1,116 touches. Brown had two 1,000-yard rushing seasons in his NFL career, one in 1993 and one in 1998.

He played his college football with the Penn State Nittany Lions. When he moved into coaching, Brown was diagnosed with cancer twice–first when he was in his early 40s and coaching the running backs for the Cleveland Browns. Doctors found cancer in his colon and liver. Then, a second time after the 2019 season, doctors found a malignant tumor near his pancreas.

Brown spent six seasons as the Dallas Cowboys assistant coach from 2013 to 2019. He made an impact on one of the game’s all-time greats in DeMarco Murray. The former Cowboys’ great shared a few words about Brown on Twitter. Murray had his best season in the NFL under Brown’s tutelage when he rushed for 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns for Dallas in 2014. The former Oklahoma star also had a big-time receiving year that season. He pulled in 57 catches for 416 receiving yards.

Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys longtime owner, also shared his thoughts on Gary Brown on Twitter. Plenty of other people, such as current Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst and current Badgers star running back, Braelon Allen, also shared a few words about Brown on Twitter. Under Brown’s guidance last season, he emerged as one of college football’s most electrifying running backs, rushing 186 times for 1,268 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Brown is survived by his wife Kim, daughters Malena and Dorianna, and his son, Tre.