Ted Brown (American football)

Thomas Edward "Ted" Brown (born February 15, 1957) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack, where he was recognized as an All-American. He was a first-round pick in the 1979 NFL draft, and played for the Minnesota Vikings.

Ted Brown

No. 23
Position	Running back
Personal information
Born	(1957-02-15) February 15, 1957 High Point, North Carolina, U.S.
Listed height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight	206 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school	T. W. Andrews (High Point)
College	NC State (1975–1978)
NFL draft	1979: 1st round, 16th overall pick
Career history
Minnesota Vikings (1979–1986)
Awards and highlights
Consensus All-American (1978) ACC Rookie of the Year (1975) 4× First-team All-ACC (1975–1978) NC State Wolfpack No. 23 retired
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards 4,546 Rushing average 4.1 Rushing touchdowns 40 Receptions 339 Receiving yards 2,850 Receiving touchdowns 13 Stats at Pro Football Reference
College Football Hall of Fame

Early life

Brown was born in High Point, North Carolina. He attended T. Wingate Andrews High School.

College career

By the time Brown graduated from North Carolina State University in 1978, he had set the Atlantic Coast Conference career rushing record with 4,602 yards and the single game rushing record with 251 yards against Penn State in 1977. He was an All-ACC pick for all four years in college and a consensus All-American in 1978.

College statistics

Legend
	Led the ACC
	ACC record
Bold	Career high

College rushing & receiving statistics

Season	School	Games	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD
Team		Rushing					Receiving
1975	NC State	10	142	913	6.4	12	16	160	10.0	1
1976	NC State	11	198	1,088	5.5	13	25	239	9.6	0
1977	NC State	11	218	1,251	5.7	13	24	164	6.8	1
1978	NC State	11	302	1,350	4.5	11	17	197	11.6	0
Career	NC State	43	860	4,602	5.4	49	82	760	9.3	2

In 2013, Brown was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Professional career

The Minnesota Vikings chose Brown in the first round (sixteenth pick overall) of the 1979 NFL Draft, and he played for the Vikings from 1979 to 1986.

In December 1981, Brown accidentally shot himself while handling a loaded revolver. The injury required surgery to remove bullet and wood fragments from his upper thigh. There was a question of whether he would be able continue his career in football. Brown ended up recovering and retired after the 1986 NFL season.

Brown was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Rushing					Receiving
		GP	GS	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
1979	MIN	14	9	130	551	4.2	34	1	31	197	6.4	35	0
1980	MIN	16	16	219	912	4.2	55	8	62	623	10.0	67	2
1981	MIN	16	16	274	1,063	3.9	34	6	83	694	8.4	63	2
1982	MIN	8	8	120	515	4.3	30	1	31	207	6.7	29	2
1983	MIN	10	8	120	476	4.0	43	10	41	357	8.7	25	1
1984	MIN	13	9	98	442	4.5	19	3	46	349	7.6	35	3
1985	MIN	14	9	93	336	3.6	30	7	30	291	9.7	54	3
1986	MIN	13	0	63	251	4.0	60	4	15	132	8.8	20	0
		104	75	1,117	4,546	4.1	60	40	339	2,850	8.4	67	13

Playoffs

Year	Team	Games		Rushing					Receiving
		GP	GS	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
1980	MIN	1	1	5	14	2.8	5	1	4	25	6.3	15	0
1982	MIN	2	2	37	146	3.9	18	2	8	71	8.9	14	0
		3	3	42	160	3.8	18	3	12	96	8.0	15	0

Post-retirement

After retiring from football, Brown became a juvenile probation officer in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His son, J. T., played with the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League.