Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1999)
Penn State’s quiet star lets his talent do the talking By David Kinney The Associated Press STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — On a defense loaded with loudmouths, Penn State’s Courtney Brown doesn’t waste words. As a defensive end with a 7 foot-2-inch armspan and the quick-twitch muscles of a cat, does he really need to say any thing? • His curmudgeon of a coach al ready compares him with Penn State legend Dave Robinson. NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. picks him to go in the top five next year. His position coach can find only one thing wrong with him: He has no twin. Coaches, teammates, friends — heck, even his mother — have spent years trying to figure out whether he’s shy or private, hum ble or aloof. Really, it makes no difference: Brown needs no advertising. “If Courtney Brown was as out going, as talkative as I was, he’d be up for the Heisman,” Nittany Lions linebacker Brandon Short said. “He’s 272, 6-foot-6, runs a 4.5 40, his arms are long, he strong. And he’s mean.” On the field, at least. The only words his teammates use to de scribe his off-field persona are “quiet” and “nice.” The 21-year-old Brown goes to Bible reading once or twice a week. He had a 4.0 grade-point average in high school and is studying Web design in college. He likes going to the movies, any thing that’s “good and clean,” his roommate, Anthony King, said. “Courtney is one of the coolest guys ever,” teammate LaVar Ar rington said. “He’s just the nicest guy.” Tell that to offensive linemen and quarterbacks, who have watched the ferocious pass rush er dominate entire quarters for No. 2 Penn State, which has the weekend off after starting 5-0. Against No. 9 Miami, he nearly single-handedly destroyed the Hurricanes’ offense in the first quarter and finished with three tackles for losses. “Courtney, he’s a natural,” ends coach Larry Johnson said. “First of all, he has the big arms. He has great explosion off the ball. Then he has great balance. He can move. He’s not a straight-ahead guy. He’s got the head fakes and moves, and that makes him differ ent from other ends. And a will to be successful, Courtney has that, too.” For the season, 12 of his 21 tackles are for losses totaling 60 yards. Six of those are sacks, and he’s also forced a fumble. He has a school-record 50 tackles for loss es in his career. With 25 1/2 ca reer sacks, he needs five more to break the school record. Coach Joe Paterno, usually sparing in his praise of his play ers, has run out of great things to say. He already has called him the best player at his position in Penn State history. “Courtney would be in Dave Robinson’s class and maybe, over a long period of time, even a more consistent performer,” Paterno said, referring to the NFL All-Pro outside linebacker. “The great thing about Court ney is that he is so unassuming. He is just such a great asset to this football game because of his poise, maturity and just him being such a good, good person.” Reading those words recently, Brown raised his eyebrows, in credulous. “Did he really say all this?” he asked. Then he looked at the sheet of paper again. “I’m just thankful that someone thinks of me like that,” he said. “But that’s saying a lot, because Dave Robinson was a great player, and I think I have a ways to go be fore I’m mentioned like that.” Typical Courtney. Always de flecting the praise. Always harder on himself than everybody else. “Sometimes he realizes being humble is the best way to get where you want to be,” Johnson said. “He hates being singled out. He really does. He thinks it takes away from the team. He’s a very unselfish young man.” If Brown sounds small-town, it’s because he is. The youngest of five children, he hails from a speck on the map called Alvin, S.C. “You can miss it if you’re trying to get somewhere,” said Shirley Brown, Courtney’s mother, whose family has lived there for at least three generations. “It’s hot. Mos quitoes everywhere. You see snakes sometimes. Deer, you see them crossing the road.” Sitting in a swampy lowland of moss-hung oaks and pines, Alvin has no stop lights, no city water, no fast food within 17 miles, no movie theaters within an hour’s i i If Courtney Brown was as outgoing, as talkative as I was, he’d be up for the Heisman. * ' Brandon Short Penn State linebacker drive. The locals speak of all this with great pride. Alvin’s other famous star is Georgia Tech’s star quarterback, Joe Hamilton, who played high school ball with Brown and fol lows Penn State. He was watching on television as Brown manhandled Miami’s offensive line. “I love it when he goes out and does that,” he said. ‘‘But what I love most is when I see ‘Alvin, S.C.’ under his name.” Brown seems a little stunned, too, that just another kid from Alvin is on the verge of going to the NFL. “I’m glad somebody thinks highly of me, but I’ve got a long way to go,” he said. “I’m just thankful. Blessed that I had an opportunity to play." ^Secret Qarc/en A Bed & Breakfast Inn Ten delightful garden-theme rooms await you. T A 1910 University Street, Eugene, Oregon 97403 541-484-6755 • fax:541-431-1699 • 1-888-484-6755 Toll free : www.secretgardenbbinn.com Come work. f< or us. Hie Oregon Daily Emerald is always looking for young writers who want to learn and grow at a real newspaper. For information on how to freelance for the Emerald call346-5511. Goodwrench Service MINUTES OR LESS OR your next Lube Service is On Most GM Vehicles SERVICE WHILE YOU WAIT • Ldbe, oil & filter • Vehicle Inpections • Tires Rotated • Wheel Pack • 39 Point Safety Inspection • Transmission Fluid & Service • Wiper Inspection & Replacement • Differential Service • Radiator Inspection Service • Lighting System Check & Bulb Replacement • Goodwrench Service • Close to Campus • Option to leave your car there when in class • Hit us at Lunch time... we’re that quick! You'll get a LIFETIME GUARANTEE** on parts and labor. Plus competitive up-front pricing and courtesy Transportation. No Appointment Needed! We’ll give you more than just an OIL CHANGE Includes up to 5 quarts of GM Goodwrench Motor oil, a new AC Oelco Oil Filter, Chassis lube and ten-point maintenance check, all in 29 minutes or less! Restrictions may apply to some vehicles. $16 95 originally $24.95! NO COUPON NEEDED! Evetyday low price. ROMANIA ^ Goodwrench Quick Lube I Chevrolet | The 7%ttd means better. *see dealer lor details. On most vehicles. * * See us for guarantee details 2020 Franklin Blvd., Eugene • 465-3588 • Open Mon-Fri 7:30-5:30 TIFUI NAKED W say more? Free Admission w/ 2620 W 11
