Brown hopes to turn Tide for the Rebels

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2002 | 8:57 a.m.

A record crowd of about 43,000 is expected for UNLV's season opener against Wisconsin Aug. 31 at Sam Boyd Stadium. But don't expect UNLV senior safety Connie Brown to be in awe of the turnout.

That's because the transfer from Alabama spent a year in the Southeast Conference. And one of those games was in front of 108,000 fans at Tennessee's Neyland Stadium.

"It was loud," the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Brown said. "I couldn't even hear what the people standing next to me were saying."

Brown, who started two games at free safety in 2000 for the Crimson Tide, is expected to take over Sam Brandon's safety spot for the Rebels. The former JC All-American from City College of San Francisco knows he has to make the most of his chance if he is to realize his lifelong goal of playing in the NFL.

"It's a little difficult not thinking about the NFL when that's always been your dream," Brown said. "I only have one year to do it, so I've got to play good throughout this season to get that chance."

UNLV coach John Robinson thinks Brown has what it takes to play in the NFL.

"He sure does," Robinson said. "But I think a lot of it depends on this season. I think he has the size and the speed to play there. He just needs to put together the kind of season we think he's capable of."

Brown visited UNLV after leading City College to a JC national championship in 1999. But he said he always wanted to play in the SEC and decided to sign with Alabama instead.

He played in all 11 games for the Crimson Tide in 2000 and broke up four passes to go along with 24 tackles. He also had an interception against Auburn in the Iron Bowl. But Alabama head coach Mike DuBose and his staff were dismissed after that season and replaced by TCU's Dennis Franchione.

"Me and Coach DuBose got along well," Brown said. "Then Coach Fran came in. I guess we had some type of misunderstanding. I guess he didn't like the way I played or acted or whatever. So it was time for me to leave."

Although he would have preferred to stay in the SEC and play at either LSU or Tennessee, schools which had shown interest in him after junior college, Brown said Alabama wouldn't release him to a SEC school.

"(Franchione) wasn't going to let me come back and get him," Brown said with a smile.

So Brown decided to enroll at UNLV. His former JC teammate Tyrone Tucker, a starter at Iowa State, also has transferred to UNLV. Both are expected to play starting roles for the Rebels.

"I guess we both made mistakes," Brown said. "He went his way and I went mine. And then we both ended up coming back (to UNLV)."

Brown said it was difficult redshirting last year while the Rebels stumbled to a 4-7 record.

"I've been playing football for 15 or 16 years," said the native of Petaluma, Calif. "That was the first season I missed playing during my whole life. It was hard to sit around a year. But the one positive was I got to learn the UNLV defense. It gave me time to pick up all the schemes and those things. And that has helped me this year."

Brown said he is eager for the opener against Wisconsin.

"This is the most I've looked forward to a game since junior college when we played Santa Rosa, which was close to my home and had a lot of my friends on the team," Brown said. "I can't wait to get back on the field again. It's been too long."