1997 Football Roster
Rufus Brown
- Position:
- Tailback
- Height:
- 6-1
- Weight:
- 195
- Class:
- Freshman
- Hometown:
- Belzoni, Miss.
- High School:
- Humphrey's County
Carolina’s leading ground-gainer entering 2000. Has rushed for 809 yards and four touchdowns in two seasons of action limited due to injuries. Missed all of spring drills this year due to January 2000 surgery to repair a shoulder injury. Will start preseason camp at tailback, but has the size to play fullback. Is the most experienced tailback on the roster. Earned the starting job as a freshman and was the starter in the opening game last year against Virginia. An injury in that game hampered him for more than a month. Showed flashes of excellence as a rookie. Would be a huge plus for the Tar Heels if he can solidify his status at tailback.
1999 -- Sophomore Season
Season was interrupted by injuries. Played in just seven games and made three starts. Finished the year with 275 rushing yards on 74 carries. Had 10 or more carries in just four contests. Had a season-high 18 carries for 94 yards against Furman and 18 attempts for 74 yards in the season opener versus Virginia. Sprained a toe late in the Virginia game. That injury kept him out of the next four games. Returned to action with two carries for 16 yards against Houston. Scored his only touchdown on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter at Maryland. Averaged 5.2 yards per carry against Furman and 4.1 per attempt against Virginia. Had a 26-yard run against Duke. Even with all the injuries he was third on the team in rushing yards.
1998 -- Freshman Season
Led the Tar Heels in rushing with 534 yards. Averaged 4.0 yards per carry and scored three rushing touchdowns. Averaged 48.5 yards per game. Averaged 62.6 yards per game in his eight starts (last eight regular-season games). Led the Tar Heels in rushing in five of the last six regular-season games (against Wake Forest, Florida State, Virginia, Duke and NC State). Played just three snaps against San Diego State in the Las Vegas Bowl because he suffered a bruised sternum in the NC State game. Was the first freshman to lead the team in rushing since Natrone Means in 1990. Rushed for a season-high 143 yards on 26 carries against Wake Forest. Came into the game with just 116 yards on 33 carries in the first five games. Scored on a 12-yard run and had a 46-yard run in the third quarter. His 46-yard run was the longest by a Tar Heel since Leon Johnson’s 50-yard run at Duke in 1996. Brown’s 143 yards against Wake Forest were the most by a Tar Heel since Jonathan Linton had 199 yards against Duke in the 1997 regular-season finale. It was the first 100-yard rushing game by a UNC freshman since Leon Johnson had 142 against Duke in 1993. The 143 yards were the most by a UNC freshman since Leon Johnson had 147 against Ohio University in 1993. Made the biggest play of the Wake Forest game when he rushed for 25 yards for a first down in the fourth quarter. The play came on 3rd-and-25 from the UNC 13 and allowed the Tar Heels to keep alive a possession that consumed more than six minutes. Rushed 15 times for 66 yards against NC State and 17 times for 83 yards and a touchdown at Duke. Had 20 carries for 64 yards at Florida State. Had a 15-yard run to set up UNC’s second field goal and rushed four times for 22 yards on UNC’s fourth-quarter, 13-play touchdown drive. Sprained his left medial collateral ligament in a scrimmage on August 15th. Wore a knee brace through the Pittsburgh game. Played without the brace for the first time against Wake Forest and rushed for 143 yards. Was fourth on the team in receptions with 12 for 87 yards. Played in all 12 games. Saw action on 465 snaps, although just 38 in the first three weeks and three in bowl game.
Humphreys County High School
First-team all-state tailback. Most Valuable Player of Division 4 in the 3-A classification. Selected to play in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game. Played for his father, Coach Harry Brown. Was MVP in Division 3A as a senior. Rushed 172 times for 1,332 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior. Also had 14 receptions for 407 yards and four scores and had 26 returns for 616 yards. In his career he rushed 334 times for 2,667 yards and 33 touchdowns, had 66 catches for 1,372 yards and 12 touchdowns and 56 returns for 1,546 yards and eight scores. Was injured for much of his junior year. Played linebacker, defensive end and cornerback. Also played baseball (outfield and second base) and had a .438 career average with 24 home runs. All-star baseball selection. President of the honor society. Ranked No. 2 academically in his class. Sports editor of the school paper.
Personal
Born Rufus James Brown on Sept. 13, 1978. Majoring in math. His father played football at Alcorn State for four years. Favorite pro teams are the Atlanta Braves and Boston Celtics. Favorite athletes are Ken Griffey Jr., Deion Sanders and Barry Sanders. Greatest athletic achievement was returning a high school punt for 75 yards, breaking seven tackles. The people who have influenced him the most are his parents and his brother. Other favorite sport is baseball. Homesick for some good catfish. Post-college ambition is to coach and own a business. Says the word that best describes him is "intelligent." Hobbies are meeting people, spending time with family and friends and playing video games.
Rufus Brown’s Regular Season Statistics
Year Rush Yds Ave TD LP 1998 133 534 4.0 3 46 1999 74 275 3.7 1 26 Totals 207 809 3.9 4 46
