It is appropriate that the name, “Brown”, is associated with the Cleveland Browns NFL team.
The first and most successful head coach for Cleveland was Pro Football Hall of Famer Paul Brown.
The greatest player for Cleveland was Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown.
While not as successful as Paul and Jim, running back Ken Brown had a solid career with Cleveland from 1970 to 1975.
Over these six seasons, Brown gained over 2,600 rushing, receiving, and kickoff return yards and scored nine touchdowns.
We take a look at the life of Ken Brown – before, during, and after his NFL playing career.
The Early Years Through High School
Kenneth J. Brown was born on November 8, 1945 in Holdenville, Oklahoma.
Holdenville is located in central Oklahoma.
For high school, Brown attended Frederick Douglass High School in Oklahoma City.
College Years
Brown did not play college football.
The Pro Football Years
1970-1972
In 1970, Brown joined the Cleveland Browns.
He signed with the team as an undrafted free agent.
Brown was the oldest rookie on Cleveland in 1970 – the only rookie born before 1946.
He (at a height of five feet and 10 inches and at a weight of 203 pounds) played in 11, but did not start any, regular season games in 1970.
In a 30-27 Browns win over the Cincinnati Bengals on October 11, 1970, Brown was credited with his first yards in an NFL regular season game, when he returned one kickoff for 32 yards.
For the 1970 NFL regular season, Brown returned two kickoffs for 42 yards.
The Browns posted a 7-7 record in 1970.
Brown contributed to Cleveland ranking in the 1970 NFL regular season ninth in average yards per kickoff return (22.8 yards).
Brown played in 10, but did not start any, regular season games in 1971.
On September 26, 1971, Brown returned one kickoff for 35 yards, in a 14-13 Browns win over the Baltimore Colts.
The following week, on October 4, 1971, Brown returned two kickoffs for 56 yards, in a 34-20 Cleveland loss to the Oakland Raiders.
Brown returned one kickoff for 34 yards, as the Browns defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 27-24 on October 17, 1971.
In Cleveland’s second victory over the Bengals in 1971, 31-27 on December 5, 1971, Brown returned two kickoffs for 50 yards.
The following week, on December 12, 1971, Brown had his first NFL regular season game in which he gained positive rushing yards on offense.
Brown rushed for 55 yards on eight rushing attempts, including a 17-yard run, as the Browns defeated the New Orleans Saints 21-17.
Brown rushed for 47 yards on 11 rushing attempts and returned 15 kickoffs for 330 yards (leading the Browns), during the 1971 NFL regular season.
With a 9-5 record, the Browns won the AFC Central Division title in 1971.
Brown’s play contributed to Cleveland ranking in the 1971 NFL regular season 10th in points scored (285), ninth in passing yards (2,299), tied for sixth in fewest sacks allowed (22), and tied for third in rushing touchdowns (19).
The Browns played the Baltimore Colts in a 1971 divisional round playoff game on December 26, 1971.
Brown played in, but did not start, the game, but Cleveland lost to Baltimore 20-3.
In 1972, Brown played in all 14, and started two, regular season games.
On October 1, 1972, in a 27-6 Browns win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Brown started his first NFL regular season game.
Substituting for Cleveland running back Bo Scott, and starting next to Cleveland Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Leroy Kelly, Brown rushed for 28 yards on 11 rushing attempts, including a 12-yard run.
Brown also caught one pass for 15 yards (his first NFL regular season pass reception) and returned one kickoff for 22 yards.
In addition, Brown’s play helped Leroy Kelly rush for 83 yards and one touchdown on 22 rushing attempts and Cleveland wide receiver Frank Pitts catch four passes for 105 yards and one touchdown.
The following week, on October 8, 1972, Brown again started, in a 31-7 Cleveland loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Brown rushed for 48 yards on seven rushing attempts, including a 14-yard run, caught one pass for 17 yards, and returned three kickoffs for 79 yards.
Brown scored his first NFL regular season touchdown, on a two-yard run, as the Browns defeated the San Diego Chargers 21-17 on November 13, 1972.
He rushed for six yards on two rushing attempts and caught two passes for 26 yards, including a 19-yard pass reception that helped set up the game-winning touchdown by Frank Pitts.
In a 27-10 Cleveland victory over the Buffalo Bills on November 26, 1972, Brown scored a touchdown on a one-yard run.
Brown rushed for 25 yards on five rushing attempts, including a 14-yard run, and returned one kickoff for 19 yards.
Brown returned three kickoffs for 57 yards, in a 27-24 Browns win over the Cincinnati Bengals on December 9, 1972 (for Cleveland’s second regular season victory over the Bengals for the second consecutive year).
The following week, on December 17, 1972, Brown rushed for one yard on one rushing attempt and returned two kickoffs for 76 yards, as Cleveland defeated the New York Jets 26-10.
For the 1972 regular season, Brown rushed for 114 yards and the above-described two touchdowns on 32 rushing attempts, caught five passes for 64 yards, and returned 20 kickoffs for 473 yards (again leading the Browns).
With a 10-4 record, the Browns earned a wild card playoff berth in 1972.
In the 1972 playoffs, Cleveland played the undefeated Miami Dolphins on December 24, 1972.
Brown rushed for 13 yards on four rushing attempts, but the Browns lost to the Dolphins 20-14.
1973-1975
Brown became a full-time starter in 1973, as he started all 14 regular season games (mostly again next to Leroy Kelly).
On September 16, 1973, Brown rushed for 40 yards on eight rushing attempts, including a 17-yard run, in a 24-14 Browns win over the Baltimore Colts.
In addition, Brown’s play helped Cleveland quarterback Mike Phipps rush for 55 yards on seven rushing attempts, Cleveland wide receiver Fair Hooker catch five passes for 62 yards, and Frank Pitts catch four passes for 56 yards and two touchdowns.
Brown rushed for 45 yards on 13 rushing attempts and caught three passes for 21 yards, as Cleveland defeated the New York Giants 12-10 on September 30, 1973.
He also helped Leroy Kelly rush for 63 yards on 25 rushing attempts and Browns wide receiver Gloster Richardson catch three passes for 70 yards.
The following week, on October 7, 1973, Brown rushed for 93 yards on 26 rushing attempts, including a 16-yard run, and caught two passes for 13 yards, including a 10-yard pass reception, in a 17-10 Browns victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
With Brown at running back, Mike Phipps rushed for 52 yards on four rushing attempts and Leroy Kelly rushed for 73 yards and two touchdowns on 21 rushing attempts.
In the next game, on October 15, 1973, Brown rushed for 55 yards on 17 rushing attempts and caught three passes for 30 yards, including an 18-yard pass reception, in a 17-9 Cleveland loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Brown’s play helped Leroy Kelly rush for 65 yards on 14 rushing attempts.
The following week, on October 21, 1973, Brown rushed for 61 yards on 14 rushing attempts, including a 15-yard run, in a 42-13 Browns victory over the Houston Oilers.
In addition, Brown helped Cleveland running back Greg Pruitt rush for 56 yards on 11 rushing attempts and Fair Hooker catch three passes for 52 yards and one touchdown.
In the next game, on October 28, 1973, in a 16-16 tie between Cleveland and the San Diego Chargers, Brown rushed for 39 yards on 12 rushing attempts, including a 14-yard run, and caught two passes for 21 yards, including a 12-yard pass reception.
The following week, on November 4, 1973, Brown rushed for 25 yards on seven rushing attempts, including a 17-yard run, and caught four passes for 26 yards, including a 16-yard pass reception, in a 26-3 Browns loss to the Minnesota Vikings on November 4, 1973.
In the next game, on November 11, 1973, Brown rushed for 59 yards on 17 rushing attempts and caught one pass for four yards, as Cleveland defeated the Houston Oilers 23-13 (for Cleveland’s second defeat of the Oilers in 1973).
With Brown at running back, Greg Pruitt rushed for 66 yards and one touchdown on five rushing attempts.
The following week, on November 18, 1973, in a 7-3 Browns victory over the Oakland Raiders, Brown rushed for 82 yards on 23 rushing attempts and caught two passes for six yards.
Brown’s play also helped Frank Pitts catch four passes for 62 yards.
In the next game, on November 25, 1973, Brown rushed for 18 yards on five rushing attempts and caught one pass for 46 yards, in a 21-16 Cleveland win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Brown helped Greg Pruitt catch two passes for 57 yards and one touchdown.
Brown rushed for 537 yards (leading the Browns) on 161 rushing attempts and caught 22 passes for 187 yards, during the 1973 NFL regular season.
Cleveland had a 7-5-2 record in 1973.
In 1974, Brown played in all 14, and started 13, regular season games.
Brown rushed for 78 yards on 12 rushing attempts, including a 27-yard run, and caught three passes for nine yards, including an 11-yard pass reception, in a 33-7 Browns loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on September 15, 1974.
His play also helped Greg Pruitt rush for 64 yards on 12 rushing attempts.
The following week, on September 22, 1974, Brown caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Mike Phipps, in a 20-7 Cleveland win over the Houston Oilers.
Brown caught five passes for 37 yards, including a 15-yard pass reception, and also rushed for 27 yards on 10 rushing attempts.
In addition, Brown helped Greg Pruitt rush for 89 yards and one touchdown on 14 rushing attempts and Cleveland wide receiver Steve Holden catch five passes for 83 yards.
In the next game, on September 29, 1974, in a 29-7 Browns loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, Brown rushed for 19 yards on six rushing attempts and caught four passes for 27 yards, including a 19-yard pass reception.
With Brown at running back, Gloster Richardson caught two passes for 71 yards and one touchdown.
On October 13, 1974, Brown rushed for 57 yards on six rushing attempts, including a 20-yard touchdown run, and caught two passes for 13 yards, in a 34-24 Cleveland loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Brown’s play helped Mike Phipps rush for 54 yards on six rushing attempts, Greg Pruitt rush for 83 yards on 11 rushing attempts, Browns running back Hugh McKinnis rush for 69 yards on 10 rushing attempts, and Gloster Richardson catch a 60-yard touchdown pass.
Brown rushed for 15 yards on seven rushing attempts, as the Browns defeated the Denver Broncos 23-21 on October 27, 1974.
He also helped Hugh McKinnis catch six passes for 111 yards.
The following week, on November 3, 1974, Brown rushed for 21 yards on nine rushing attempts and caught two passes for 16 yards, including an 11-yard pass reception, in a 36-35 Cleveland loss to the San Diego Chargers.
With Brown at running back, Steve Holden caught six passes for 85 yards and one touchdown.
In the next game, on November 10, 1974, Brown scored the game-winning touchdown on a four-yard run in the fourth quarter, in a 21-14 Browns victory over the New England Patriots.
Brown rushed for 23 yards on 10 rushing attempts and caught one pass for nine yards.
In addition, Brown’s play helped Hugh McKinnis rush for 59 yards on 15 rushing attempts.
On November 24, 1974, in a 15-10 Cleveland loss to the Buffalo Bills, Brown rushed for 73 yards on 15 rushing attempts, including an 18-yard run, and caught three passes for 21 yards, including a three-yard touchdown pass from Mike Phipps.
The following week, on December 1, 1974, Brown scored on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter, again accounting for the game-winning touchdown, in a 7-0 Browns shutout of the San Francisco 49ers.
Brown rushed for 50 yards on 10 rushing attempts, including a 19-yard run, and caught three passes for 23 yards, including a 12-yard pass reception.
He helped Greg Pruitt rush for 55 yards on 10 rushing attempts and Hugh McKinnis rush for 50 yards on 12 rushing attempts.
In the next game, on December 7, 1974, Brown rushed for 28 yards on eight rushing attempts, including a 12-yard touchdown run, and caught two passes for 10 yards, in a 41-17 Cleveland loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
With Brown at running back, Steve Holden caught five passes for 87 yards and one touchdown.
For the 1974 regular season, Brown rushed for 458 yards and the above-described four touchdowns (tied for the most rushing touchdowns on the Browns) on 125 rushing attempts, caught 29 passes for 194 yards and the above-described two touchdowns, and returned one kickoff for nine yards.
In 1974, Cleveland had a 4-10 record.
Brown contributed to the Browns ranking in the 1974 NFL regular season tied for fifth in average yards per rushing attempt (4.2 yards), fourth in kickoff return yards (1,375), and tied for fifth in average yards per kickoff return (22.9 yards).
Brown played in all 14, but did not start any, regular season games in 1975, as his playing time significantly decreased in 1975.
On October 5, 1975, Brown rushed for three yards on one rushing attempt, caught one pass for six yards, and returned one kickoff for 15 yards, in a 42-6 Browns loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In a 16-15 Cleveland loss to the Denver Broncos on October 19, 1975, Brown rushed for 14 yards on seven rushing attempts.
Brown returned one kickoff for 26 yards, in a 38-17 Browns loss to the Oakland Raiders on November 16, 1975.
On December 7, 1975, Brown returned one kickoff for 29 yards, in a 31-17 Cleveland loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Brown scored on a four-yard touchdown run, in a 21-10 Browns loss to the Houston Oilers on December 21, 1975.
He rushed for 15 yards on three rushing attempts, caught one pass for 17 yards, and returned two kickoffs for 35 yards.
In the 1975 regular season, Brown rushed for 45 yards and the above-described one touchdown on 16 rushing attempts, caught the above-described two passes for 23 yards, and returned seven kickoffs for 126 yards.
Cleveland had a 3-11 record in 1975.
Brown contributed to the Browns ranking in the 1975 NFL regular season tied for fifth in average yards per rushing attempt (4.2 yards) and third in kickoff return yards (1,526).
1975 was the last season that Brown played in an NFL regular season game.
The Years After The NFL
Brown died on January 11, 2001 in Oklahoma City at the age of 55.
In reviewing Brown’s career, the word that best describes Brown’s individual performance is versatility.
Brown gained yards as a rusher, a pass receiver, and a kickoff returner.
The versatility of Brown is evidenced by his placement in various Cleveland career regular season statistical categories.
Brown ranks 26th in Cleveland career regular season rushing yards (1,193) and tied for 33rd in Cleveland career regular season rushing touchdowns (7).
His skill as a rusher was best reflected in 1973, when he led the Browns in rushing yards and gained more rushing yards than both Leroy Kelly and Greg Pruitt; not many players can state that they “out-rushed” Kelly and Pruitt in an NFL regular season.
Brown ranks tied for 85th in Cleveland career regular season pass receptions (58), 107th in Cleveland career regular season receiving yards (468), and tied for 108th in Cleveland career regular season receiving touchdowns (2).
Just among players who principally were running backs, Brown ranks tied for 26th in Cleveland career regular season pass receptions, 30th in Cleveland career regular season receiving yards, and tied for 27th in Cleveland career regular season receiving touchdowns.
As a kickoff returner, Brown ranks 18th in Cleveland career regular season kickoff return yards (982) and, among players with at least 25 kickoff returns, tied for 26th in Cleveland career regular season average yards per kickoff return (21.8 yards).
In addition, Brown’s play helped other offensive players play well for the Browns.
As described above, with Brown as a starting running back, Leroy Kelly, Frank Pitts, Mike Phipps, Fair Hooker, Gloster Richardson, Greg Pruitt, Steve Holden, and Hugh McKinnis all had excellent games for Cleveland.
Most importantly, Brown helped the Browns earn playoff berths in 1971 and 1972.
While Ken Brown was not Paul Brown or Jim Brown, his solid play over six seasons made him another “Brown” that Cleveland fans should remember for contributing to the success of the team.
NEXT: The Life And Career Of Frank Pitts (Complete Story)
