The Cowboys lost another family member Sunday in Gary Brown, a former assistant coach of seven years.
Brown died Sunday at the age of 52 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He has been in hospice care for the past few weeks and has had significant health issues since leaving the Cowboys after the 2019 season.
Sunday night, Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones issued a statement:
“Gary Brown had a big heart coupled with a big smile and a big personality. His energy and spirit were contagious. He lit up every room he walked in and touched the lives of those who knew him in such a positive way. All who knew him loved him. He meant so much to the players he coached and the coaches he trained with. His love for family, football and life was evident every day. He kept fighting and never gave up. My family and the Dallas Cowboys family are heartbroken and our love and support goes out to his wife Kim, daughters Malena and Dorianna and son Tre.”
Brown was currently the running back coach at the University of Wisconsin but was recently reassigned to other duties due to his health issues.
A former star running back at Penn State, Brown played eight seasons in the NFL. Brown was selected by the Oilers in the 1991 eighth round and played five years in Houston before retiring from the Chargers and the Giants.
Brown joined the Cowboys in 2013 as a running backs coach. His arrival gave an immediate boost to DeMarco Murray, who made the 2013 Pro Bowl ahead of a record-breaking 2014 season that included an NFL rushing-record 1,845 yards. Murray was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year before signing with the Eagles in subsequent free agency.
Brown was able to lead Darren McFadden to nearly 1,100 yards in 2015. After that, the Cowboys drafted Ezekiel Elliott, who made the Pro Bowl in three of his four years under Brown and only missed 2017 when he was suspended for six games.
After Jason Garrett was replaced as head coach in 2020, the Cowboys also made the switch from Brown.
He eventually joined Wisconsin and coached the Badgers all of 2021, but health issues forced him to miss December’s Las Vegas Bowl.
Brown’s death is the latest tragic news for the Cowboys family in the past month. Marylyn Love, Jerry Jones’ longtime assistant, died in March at the age of 80, and Hall of Fame offensive tackle Rayfield Wright died just last week.