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Antonio Brown

Pittsburgh Steelers
Position:	Wide receiver & kick/punt returner
Personal information
Born:	July 10, 1988 Miami, Florida
Career information
College:	Central Michigan University
NFL draft:	2010 / round: 6th / pick: 195
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl appearance with the Steelers in 2010, 2x All-MAC Special teams player of the year

Antonio Brown (born July 10, 1988) is an American football wide receiver for the National Football League team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was drafted 195th overall in the 6th round by the Steelers in the 2010 NFL Draft out of Central Michigan University. Brown was named a first team All-American as a punt returner in 2008 and 2009 at Central Michigan, as he amassed 410 and 270 yards in respective years as well as two and one touchdowns respectively. He is the son of former Arena Football League star and currently appointed “greatest AFL player of all-time,” ‘Touchdown’ Eddie Brown.

Early Life

Living With Family

Aforementioned, Antonio Brown was born on July 10, 1988 in Miami, Florida. He spent the first 17 years of his life in a brutal, crime-infested area called Liberty City, located just outside of Miami. During his stint in Liberty City, Brown lived a hard-knock life. While he himself was never a direct victim of criminal activity in any way, indirectly, he was forced to witness friends taken to jail as well as the murder of a few other friends. Fortunately, however, Brown never resorted to a life of crime, despite the fact that it was right in front of his eyes for his entire childhood. Instead, Brown devoted himself to a life of athletics and turned to football not only for his love of the game, but also as a way to escape the daily horrors he experienced. When his teachers asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, his answer was the same, “to be a professional football player,” just as his father had accomplished. Although he was well aware of his father’s accolades, he never actually managed to maintain a consistent, healthy relationship with his father. He instead, lived with his mother only while his father was off in various locations fulfilling his obligations to his professional football clubs.

On His Own

Brown’s most difficult, direct challenge, by far, was being forced out of his house and onto the streets at the age of 16. Brown’s mother, Adrienne Moss, had just gotten re-married and her new husband was in the process of moving in when she told young Antonio that it was time for him to get out. Although no reason was cited for this drastic measure, Brown himself, with a very optimistic mindset, believes that this action from his mother was his ‘rite of passage’ into the world. In a surprising way, he does not down talk his mother in any way for this, rather gives her credit for sending him out into the world and forcing him to learn to be responsible. Brown stayed with friends that offered to take him in and even coaches at certain points, and ended up finding much motivation from strong motherly figures that encouraged him to succeed. Any bitterness he had at all towards his mother or father at the time, he took out on the football field, instead of resorting to a life of crime and mischief such as many of those surrounding him.

Prep School & College

Prep School

Upon finishing high school at Miami Norland High in Miami, Florida, Brown enrolled at North Carolina Tech Preparatory Christian Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina in order to raise his grades and continue to play football, both to try and fit in at the level of a Division-1 level university. He spent a year at the school and in five game appearances put up unrealistic numbers. In those five games, Brown played primarily quarterback and kick/punt returner, throwing for 1,247 yards and 11 touchdowns, running for 451 yards and 13 touchdowns, returning six kickoffs and 11 punts for touchdowns. These numbers alone prove that he was aptly ready for the next level.

Central Michigan University

Freshman Year

In 2007, Brown attempted to walk-on to the Chippewas’ football team. Working hard appeared to be second nature for him, especially after everything he had gone through and it showed. One week into the team’s fall practice, Brown was offered a scholarship to play at the university. Picking up where he left off, he had an outstanding freshman year with the program. In his first year as a collegiate player, he recorded a Central Michigan record 102 receptions along with 1,003 yards and six touchdowns to go with it, while earning the Mid-American Conference (MAC) freshman of the year award. Brown set a few other school records as well that year, such as most receptions in a game (15) and most all-purpose yards by a freshman (2,267), which he also set the bowl-subdivision record for for a freshman.

Sophomore Year

The following year, Brown recorded another 93 catches, second in school history behind only himself the previous year. He also recorded another 998 yards and seven touchdowns. His efforts earned him MAC special teams player of the year as well as first team All-MAC receiver, punt returner, and kick returner honors. He also led the nation in punt return yards, averaging 20.5 yards per return. It was easy to see that he was gradually developing into the NFL player he aspired to be.

Junior Year

Brown’s junior year at Central Michigan was by far his most statistically productive one, as he eclipsed his own reception record with 110 catches on the year, totaling 1,198 yards and nine touchdowns. He also added 341 rushing yards and three touchdowns, as well as 270 punt return yards and two touchdowns. His hard working attitude as well as his well-roundedness as an athlete contributed to him winning his second consecutive MAC special teams player of the year and earned him All-MAC first team receiver and punt returner honors. Through the three seasons he spent at the university, he compiled 305 receptions, which ranked him first in school history in that category, as well as an astounding 7,164 all-purpose yards.

GMAC Bowl

The Chippewas amassed a solid 11-2 record in 2009, Brown’s junior year, with the leadership of star quarterback Dan LeFevour and Brown himself, putting them in position to compete against Troy University in the GMAC Bowl game. The game went into halftime tied, and the Trojans of Troy added to their lead with an early third quarter touchdown. CMU responded with a field goal on their next possession and following a Trojan fumble on the following possession, Brown capitalized with a seven yard touchdown run to put the Chippewas ahead 19-17. From that point on, the game became a high scoring contest, as Troy regained the lead with two touchdowns, going up 31-19. After the second touchdown, Brown returned the ensuing kickoff for a 95 yards score, trimming the lead to a single touchdown. The Chippewas scored again, following a three-and-out from Troy, with Brown catching three passes for 65 yards to set up a score. CMU then converted a two-point conversion to take a three point lead. Troy responded with a game tying field goal on the final drive of regulation with a 46 yard field goal to tie the game and force overtime. On the first drive of overtime, the Chippewas scored on three plays, but Troy quickly responded to tie the game at 41. CMU then blocked a Trojan field goal attempt and kicked one of their own to take the game 44-41 in double overtime. Antonio Brown was named the game’s offensive MVP, as he hauled in 13 of LeFevour’s passes for 174 yards, and added two scores (1 rushing, 1 KO return). Brown’s performance was exceptional, but his next major career decision lay right in front of him: should he return to the school for his senior year or enter the NFL Draft after an impressive junior season?

Professional Career

NFL Draft

With an upcoming head coach change as well as the departure of CMU starting quarterback Dan LeFevour, Brown decided to forgo his senior year at the university and enter the 2010 NFL Draft. He simply believed that he had matured enough over his three strong years that he was well prepared for the next level and that there was nothing left in college for him to prove to himself. Brown was projected to be as early as a third-round pick, as he was described as having great speed, decent hands, quick routes down the field, especially when coming out of the slot position, and the ability to greatly contribute to special teams, an often overlooked aspect. He waited until the last day of the draft before receiving a phone call from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ organization, informing him that they were drafting him as the 195th selection of the 6th round. He finally had the chance to prove himself in his element and achieve his lifelong dream as a professional football player.

Relationship With Parents

As previously stated, Brown was kicked out of his house at the age of 16 and had a struggling relationship with his father throughout his life. However, he has surprisingly reconnected with both of his parents and now checks in with them on a regular basis. He calls his mother every day and has acknowledged that looking back on things, he is grateful to her for making the decision she did, as it taught him how to be responsible at a young age. She is remorseful for her actions, but he states that he loves her nonetheless. While communication with his father seemed almost nonexistent at first, as his father did not stay in contact and saw none of his son’s games with Central Michigan, Brown now checks in with his father regularly and strives to be a better football player then he was over his illustrious 10 year AFL career. Brown accredits this forgiveness and dedication to his faith in God. After a rough childhood and overcoming various obstacles, he believes he has been truly blessed for making it as far as he has and for his attitude, which resembles, ‘Work hard to get what you want; nothing is ever given to you, it must be earned.’

Career with the Pittsburgh Steelers

Antonio Brown is currently in his second year with the Steelers’ organization. He missed the first 11 games of his career, due to an injury, but played in the very next game in week 12 against the Tennessee Titans. On his very first play of the game, he took a kickoff return 89 yards for a touchdown. Through the last five games of the season, Brown caught only 16 passes, nothing close to his usual superstar numbers at Central Michigan. However, Brown emerged as a fan favorite during the playoffs, where he caught drive-clinching passes in back to back games that allowed Pittsburgh to take the lead and seal the lead in respective games. After his second clutch catch, he was recognized with the cheering of “Mr. Clutch,” from the fans, a nickname that has stuck ever since. His efforts and key contributions have been highly praised by teammates such as Hines Ward, Arnaz Battle, and Ben Roethlisberger and have even been noted by opponents Charles Woodson and Nick Collins. Through 11 games of his second year, Brown currently has 48 receptions for 707 yards and a single touchdown.