Hokies assistant Cornell Brown still a Raven at heart
It’s Super Bowl Sunday, so the blog is bringing out the big guns today. Randy King is back on the scene for the day. He got in touch with Cornell Brown to talk about the Hokies assistant coach’s time as a Baltimore Ravens linebacker.
Here’s how Randy’s story in today’s paper starts:
Don’t bother trying to reach Cornell Brown on Sunday night.
The Virginia Tech assistant football coach will be tied up. He has a huge game to play.
While the former Tech All-American defensive end made his last NFL tackle in 2004, Brown will suit up as the area’s biggest cheerleader for the Baltimore Ravens when they face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.
Brown played seven seasons with the Ravens and was a backup outside linebacker on the 2001 title club that routed the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV. He remains close friends with Ravens star middle linebacker Ray Lewis, who will be playing the final game of his 17-year NFL career.
“Oh, man, it’s a great time,” Brown said. “You see a guy like Ray Lewis, who has done it for 17 years and now has the opportunity to go out the way he wants to go out. That’s one of the biggest draws to the game for me because he was a guy I played with. I’ve won a Super Bowl with him and I’m just happy that he’s still able to do it and has the opportunity to do it again. …
“It’s an awesome time, man, you’re a part of that organization, you won something there, the first team ever to win a championship there, … and to see them to be able to get back there, that’s amazing!”
Read the whole thing here. And follow me on Twitter and Facebook.
A couple other things:
- Aaron McFarling is back writing columns again. Here’s his Super Bowl one in today’s paper (with a prediction, of course).
- If you missed my story on Ravens quarterback Tyrod Taylor earlier this week, you can read it here.
- Also, here’s a list of Virginia Tech and Virginia players who have been on Super Bowl teams.
- In non-Super Bowl news, former Virginia Tech quarterback Bruce Arians was named the NFL’s Coach of the Year, an amazing feat considering he was an interim coach for the Colts most of the year. He took the Arizona Cardinals head coaching job last month.
February 3, 2013 - 12:17 AM
Cornell Brown was a great player for Virginia Tech, and at a time that good players were needed at Tech.
This is another good article by Andy.
Frank, you musta typed before yer cuppa joe. This is another good article by Randy. Andy had the good sense and his usual class to share it with us and credit Randy King.
Yup, this one’s all Randy. I took the Tyrod story this week.
As Hillary Clinton might say, what difference does it make?
Not happy that Brown and Lewis are friends. I am not sold on the Lewis redemption.
I think Lewis has tried to change. No one pays a deceased family millions of dollars unless they were involved in the murder in the first place. Usually where there is guilt there is a great need for atonement; becoming a preacher is one way of trying to put that behind you. The bottom line is whether he can play football effectively today, that is what the fans are interested in. I doubt he will make it the entire game, just a hunch. Also, I hope Tyrod Taylor gets a chance to play and he probably will. Still think the 49ers win this by at least two touchdowns. Where is Dan Marino, that is the question???
Barry – I have no faith in Ray Lewis. How about 9 children out of wedlock? Yup, my kind of holy man….
And I thought we were rid of you?
I only reappear when equity and fairness are needed. SF is usually a second half team, I guess they will need to be.
Barry, you reappear and the lights go out. Tell you anything?
Then give props to Michael Oher. His is a much better human interest story.
I predict that the ravines will win 34-31, in a strangely long game. Quirky really. Tyrod plays great in relief, and gets the ring.
Back to Cornell Brown. What a great Hokie player who was just fun to watch. He could control the game. Didn’t quite have the pro career we had hoped for but did play longer than average. From what I hear, he is also becoming a pretty good coach too. I was lucky enough to speak to him a few years ago when he first returned to B’burg. Really nice guy. I’m not a Ray Lewis fan either, but Coach Brown played along side him for several years and the bond between teammates is a special one.