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[ Monday, April 17, 2000 ]
Brown No. 1 pick, going to Cleveland
By Chris Antonacci
Collegian Staff Writer
NEW YORK — For once, Courtney Brown had something to conceal.
The former Penn State defensive end had learned his fate long before NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue called his name, long before he stepped confidently onto the stage.
As the No. 1 pick in Saturday's NFL Draft, Brown smiled wider than The Joker, for he had known this moment would come all along. But as he spoke to his father Ervin Brown five hours before the draft, the humble Brown neglected to mention he had already inked a contract with the Cleveland Browns.
PHOTO: J. Rajotte/Collegian
Courtney Brown takes the stage after being named the first pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.
"I didn't want to tell them," Courtney Brown said. "I kind of waited until they actually picked me. It's fine, you know. I just wanted to thank them for being supportive."
"I kept watching the clock. And then it stopped. I was like, What's going on now?' " Ervin said. "I stood up and my heart started beating fast. I had to pat it down. I have never experienced something like this in my whole life. This is the greatest moment in my whole life. It's amazing. I told him, 'God bless.' "
The last Penn State player to be drafted No. 1, Ki-Jana Carter, left Penn State a year early back in 1995 before later earning his degree. Brown is vying to finish his integrative arts and computer degree this spring.
"Academics was No. 1, football was always No. 2," Ervin said. "He would get home sometimes and he was very tired. He would get back up in the night and get back in his books. He had his goals set."
"I don't think it is going to change him a whole lot. He is just that type of person."
Brown's work ethic is part of his personification of his upbringing. Alvin, S.C., is an unpretentious town about 50 miles to the northeast of Charleston.
He comes from a place that, until November was so remote, it did not exist on highway maps. It did not even have a zip code. After Saturday, Alvin can no longer enjoy its seclusion as Brown has put his hometown on the map in more ways than one.
Brown forgot about his humble beginnings. His small-town dreams to make it big had come true. But he is keeping Alvin close to his heart, thanking the town and its people for supporting him throughout his journey and molding him into the man he has become.
"He doesn't like to think he is above others," Brown's mother, Shirley, said. "He doesn't think he is above anybody else — or higher. That's why he likes to keep a low profile. But he still likes to do his best in whatever he is doing."
"I just try to let my actions speak for themselves," the 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive end said. "Actions speak louder than words. I just go out there and play, and let my game speak for itself."
Brown might not say much, especially when it is in front of a microphone, but he makes a statement on the field. His accomplishments at Penn State speak for themselves -- Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, all-time sack leader at Penn State, Nittany Lions' most valuable player.
He is everything Cleveland could want.
"His faith has always been instilled within him," said Sterling Brown, the top pick's brother. "What you see is what you get with him. He is all about focus."
"I mean, I couldn't be picked after a better guy," said former defensive teammate LaVar Arrington, the second collegiate player taken Saturday. "Courtney, I think he deserved it. It could not have happened to a better person."
