Brown finds his place leading Tigers

Senior safety Pig Brown has reached his destination on the long road to stardom.

By Mike Bushnell

Published Oct. 26, 2007

This time two years ago, senior safety Pig Brown was just another defensive player stuck in the wilderness of junior college football.

But now he has become the leader and linchpin of a rejuvenated Missouri defense in a drastic change that surprised even him.

"Two, three years ago I was at a junior college in California," Brown said. "Who would have thought I'd be here now? But it's a fun ride."

And it's been a long ride that has taken Brown from Adel, Ga., population 5,307, to Reedley Community College near Fresno, Calif., to Columbia, where after just one year, he was named a defensive captain.

Junior safety William Moore said Brown's success is because the defense immediately liked and trusted Brown as soon as he came to MU.

"He's a really easygoing guy," Moore said. "He's always got a joke for you, but we also really trust him. If you ever need anything, he's always there for you, telling people to keep their head up if they're struggling, whatever."

Brown had 40 tackles last season, but since he was named a starter in August, he has shone, netting 60 tackles and three interceptions in seven games.

In his first game as a starter on Sept. 1 against Illinois in St. Louis, Brown had a 100-yard fumble return for a touchdown and an interception in the waning moments of the game that preserved MU's 40-34 win.

On Saturday, Brown had an interception and 14 tackles against Texas Tech.

Coach Gary Pinkel said Brown's dramatic improvement is due to his work ethic.

"Pig's always had a great attitude," Pinkel said. "He's like a sponge absorbing information. He's practiced the right way, and with Matt Eberflus coaching him, he's developed good, good habits."

Eberflus, Missouri's defensive coordinator, said Brown's meteoric rise wasn't unexpected after the way he played leading up to the season.

"The way Pig worked in two-a-days and spring ball was phenomenal," he said. "We knew he would make an impact."

But Brown said Missouri was never on his mind when he was a senior in high school and looking to play college ball.

He committed to Division II Valdosta State, about 25 miles south of Adel, Ga., on Interstate 75. But academically, he didn't make the cut.

"It was my grades," he said. "They kept me from playing NCAA ball right away."

Although Brown's grades would have kept him out, Eberflus said the fact that Brown flew under the Division I-A radar shows how hard it is to recruit well.

"Recruiting is not a perfect science," he said. "All of a sudden, guys like Pig are late bloomers."

Brown's blooming came first at Reedley, one of the best community college football programs in the country.

But defensive line coach Dave Kuligowski said when he and safeties coach Cornell Ford found Brown, it was by accident.

"We were at Reedley looking for other players," he said. "But we saw Pig and we were floored by his athletic ability, and we offered him a scholarship right away."

Brown came to visit Columbia in December 2005, and senior cornerback Darnell Terrell was his host.

"When he came to visit we hit it off right away, and now we're really close," Terrell said. "The last thing he said before he left to fly back to California was, 'It'd be a pleasure to play with you again.'"

Brown said Terrell was honest about what to expect in Missouri, a place he had never visited before.

"Darnell kept it real straightforward," Brown said. "He told me the ins and outs of the program and didn't sugar coat it. I felt right at home, and I knew this was a place I could grow and get better as a football player and a person."

Pinkel said not only has Brown made himself better, but he has also made those around him better.

Moore, Brown's counterpart at safety, has 56 tackles and an interception, a vast improvement from 2006 when he had 51 tackles all season.

"You raise your game when you see other people around you doing well, and that's what has happened with Pig," Pinkel said. "He's made William Moore a lot better."

Pinkel said Brown is also rare in the fact that he is an "athlete first, football player second."

This might seem like a bizarre criticism, but Pinkel said it's the exact opposite.

"Very few players are both good football players and good athletes, but he's both," he said. "And that's the best thing you can say about a guy."