Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Great Brown Endows Scholarship For CU Football
May 19, 2020 | Football, Alumni C Club, Buff Club, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Chad Brown still remembers the recruiting visit in 1987.
Colorado football coach Bill McCartney sat in the living room of Brown's home, first talking to Chad, then to his parents.
Of course, McCartney talked football. That's what Brown wanted to hear. But the Buffaloes' head coach then turned to Brown's parents and told them that being a Colorado Buffalo would be the springboard to the rest of his life. McCartney told Brown's parents he would make sure that springboard would provide every opportunity possible.
"After he finished with his football thing and started talking about the bigger stuff, I tuned out a little bit," Brown admits with a laugh. "That was for my parents."
But some 30 years later, Brown still remembers — and he knows exactly what McCartney was talking about and why his parents listened so intently. Even though his long and illustrious playing career is in the rearview mirror, Brown is still reaping the benefit of his CU experience — and now he wants to provide a similar opportunity for current and future Colorado Buffaloes.
He is doing so by giving back and endowing a scholarship for the CU football program. He would no doubt love to see the Buffaloes return to the elite level at which they played when he was part of the program, and he also wants to help current and future Buffaloes understand that there will be more to their lives than playing the game they love.
"I'm at the age that this kind of thing is super important to me," Brown said recently. "No doubt, I want the kids who go to college to play football to be incredible football players and have incredible success on the football field because that's what they came there to do. But at the same time, you are going to be a regular citizen and an alumni of the University of Colorado for far longer than you will be a part of that particular team or longer than you play football. So use that experience at Colorado as a springboard to literally the rest of your life."
Brown has no doubt done that, in every regard.
A starter on CU's national championship team in 1990 and two-time All-Big Eight linebacker, Brown was also a second team All-American selection in 1992 before becoming a second-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1993 NFL Draft. He went on to play 15 years in the league with Pittsburgh, Seattle and New England, earning All-Pro honors twice as well as being selected to play in three Pro Bowls.
But when his career finally ended after the 2007 season, he didn't skip a beat. Because he had developed and embraced another passion while still in college, he had a business up and running. His reptile breeding business blossomed, and in turn, that helped spawn All-Pro Shipping, a company that has become one of the largest of its kind in the world — and one that also has its roots in Brown's time at CU.
"I got to know a professor there, Hobart Smith, who was really a pioneer in the reptile world," Brown said. "He was a world-renowned herpetologist and he spent hours and hours with me. He told me about his adventures and all the different things he did. It was completely separate from the football aspect of my life, but it was that kindness and access to people like him that gave me the passion that I have now for my business."
And that business acumen that Brown has honed over the years has helped him see the "business" side of college athletics.
"As I get further in my business career, I can't help but look at other things I did in the past and see the business behind them and recognize how important the business aspect is for everything," he said. "You can hire the best coaches at the University of Colorado. But unless you're able to pay those coaches, you can't retain them. You can bring amazing athletes on campus for visits, but if the facilities at a place aren't comparable with other places, you're not going to get those athletes. It's why every bit helps."
It is also another reason he has decided to give back to CU.
"I'm not super wealthy," he chuckled. "I can't build a whole new athletic complex. But I can participate in some way. I think to fund a scholarship will go along with that process of helping the business. You don't need to be T. Boone Pickens. You can just be a guy who has a little extra that you can give back to the place that gave so much to you."
Black and gold no doubt runs deep in Brown's blood. His wife, Kristin, and his daughter are also CU grads; and his son is on target to earn his degree next year.
"We're a Buff family," he said. "The University of Colorado has been great to all of us. I just appreciate the people there in the athletic program, the people outside the program, and what they've done for me and what they've done for my family. If I can help in some way provide that to someone else, then that's gonna feel really good."
CU Associate Director of Development Mackenzie Altman with the CU Buff Club applauded Brown's willingness to lay the groundwork for the next generation of Buffaloes.
"Former student-athletes are the lifeblood of the Athletics Department as they aid in the overall success of the program, both on and off the field," Altman said. "Chad understands and recognizes the importance of this which is demonstrated through his physical and financial support. His holistic view of giving back to Athletics is what it's all about. I hope Chad can inspire other former Buffs to be a part of this new culture. Buffs stand Shoulder to Shoulder and Chad is a true leader and example of this."
Next, he will do his best to deliver the same message to his scholarship athlete that he heard from Bill McCartney so many years ago.
"Make the most of that experience — use that springboard," Brown said. "I think that's an important mindset and important point to communicate to these athletes now. Even though they won't have the same perspective that I have, I think the message can still resonate if delivered the right way."
If you are interested in knowing more about creating an endowment or other ways to support CU Athletics, please contact the Buff Club 303-492-2200 or cubuffclub.com.
