WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Gary Brown, a former running backs coach for the Dallas Cowboys, has died at 52 after a battle with cancer.
The Cowboys remembered Brown in a Twitter post, quoting team owner Jerry Jones as saying, “Gary Brown had a big heart partnered with a big smile & a big personality. His energy & spirit were infectious. He lit up every room he walked into & touched the lives of those who knew him in such a positive way.”
"Gary Brown had a big 💙 partnered with a big smile & a big personality. His energy & spirit were infectious. He lit up every room he walked into & touched the lives of those who knew him in such a positive way…” - Jerry Jones
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) April 11, 2022
➝ https://t.co/5tmVYvRfki pic.twitter.com/Jv8ZKn075B
Brown was diagnosed with cancer in his liver and colon while he was coaching running backs for the Cleveland Browns, ESPN reported, before undergoing surgery and chemotherapy and returning to work. Shortly after leaving the Cowboys in 2020, doctors found a tumor near his pancreas, ESPN reported.
Brown spent the last weeks of his life in hospice care in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, CBS Sports reported.
The New York Giants, for whom Brown played as a running back for two years, honored Brown’s memory on Twitter, saying “Once a Giant, Always a Giant.”
We mourn the passing of Gary Brown, a great man who played for Big Blue for two years - including a 1,000-yard season in 1998.
— New York Giants (@Giants) April 11, 2022
Once a Giant, Always a Giant. pic.twitter.com/86A99vs1ZX
Brown entered the NFL as an eighth-round draft pick, playing for the Houston Oilers in 1991, ESPN reported. He played eight seasons with the Oilers, and then played for the San Diego Chargers and New York Giants before moving to coach.
Brown is survived by his wife, Kim, and three children, ESPN reported.
©2022 Cox Media Group