 Previously, Brown served as the head coach at Austin Peay State University (1979–1980), the University of Cincinnati (1983), Rice University (1984–1985), Vanderbilt University (1986–1990), and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (1995–2006).He was also the athletic director at Rice from 1984 to 1985 and at UAB from 2002 to 2005.Brown played college football as a quarterback at Vanderbilt.