PLAYER OF THE YEAR
There are runners*. then there's Ivery Lee Brown
Try this idea on for size.
The re- incarnation of Jim Brown in
pro football could very likely come just
in time for the '91 NFL season. Further
more, this athlete will be a product of the
black college grid scene.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff running back
Ivory Lee Brown fits the bill as Black
College Sports Review's Player Of The
..
Year for the 1990 season. Brown is a
blockbluster of a runner (6-1, 232
pounds) who is blessed with 4.45 speed
in the 40.
At the end x>f the regular season,
Brown was rated as the top small college
H player in the country. Currently, he's rated
No. 7 among all college running backs
who are eligible for the pro draft in April.
By the end of this month, Brown will
have had numerous opportunities to
showcase his wares in front of pro scouts.
On Christmas Day, for example, he
played in the Kelly Tire-Blue-Grey All
Star Classic. This month, he's slated for
?action in the East- West Shrine Game, the
Senior Bowl and ohe Hula Bowl.
Ivory Lee has posted some superla
tive numbers during his two-year career
with the Golden Lions, who finished the
-'90 season with a 9-1 record. This past
season, Brown rushed for 1,364 yards
and 17 touchdowns and caught 10 passes
for 179 yards and two scores. As a junior,
he led the NAIA Division I in rushing
with 1,465 yards and 19 TDs, averaging
8.4 yards per rushing attempt.
orown was denied tne opportunity to
repeat as NAIA rushing king in 90
because of the NAIA investigation
involving Pine-Bluff (see commentary on
page 3). Nevertheless, the pro scouts
have been highly impressed with his ath
leticism, which entails a combination of
speed, strength (bench presses 450
pounds) and a surprising ability to rise
above crowds (vertical leap is 38 inches).
According to NFL draft analysis,
Dave-Te Thomas, Brown could be the
best running back coming out of the
small college ranks over the last four
years. In Thomas' mind, Brown is very
reminiscent of Christian Okoye of the
Kansas City Chiefs.
In the Fan's Exclusive Analysis To
the 1991 NFL Draft , this'is how Thomas
sizes up the burly Brown.
"Ferocious open field runner who
simply blasts through his opponents
rather than run around them .... Slides
outside smoothly and will get down low
athlete who won't go down without a
struggle." .
Prior to playing for the Golaen
Lions, Brown played at Tyler (Tex.)
Junior College. However, he was hardly
the unknown factor. At end of his two
years, he was highly recruited by Texas
A&M, Texas and UCLA. But in Rnnl
analysis, ^rown opted tor Pine-Blufl
because of coach Archie "Gunslinger"
Cooley's reputation of stressing aca
demics before athletics.
- Zack Monday
MV
_ . Photo by Jarr?s W. Terry III
Brown has the total package as a tailback ? he's able to run around or through would-be tacklers. *
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