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CLEMSON, S,C, — Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame linebacker Marlon “Bubba” Brown, the school’s all-time leading tackler, passed away Monday night in a nursing facility in Etowah, Tenn. after a long illness. He was 67. Brown lettered for the Tigers from 1976-79, and 46 years after he played his last game, his 515 career tackles are still the most in school history. Brown recorded 75 tackles as a freshman and 120 as a sophomore, second-most on the team. He led the Tigers in tackles in 1978 with 170 and once again paced the team in 1979 with 150 as a senior. Brown, a native of Loudon, Tenn., was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1999. He earned first-team All-ACC honors as a junior in 1978 when he helped the Tigers to an 11-1 record, the ACC Championship and a No. 6 final ranking in the AP Poll. He was again a first-team All-ACC selection in 1979 when he helped the Tigers to an 8-4 record in Danny Ford’s first year as head coach. “Bubba Brown was a very smart player and had a great approach to the game,” Ford said Tuesday. “He had speed and toughness, everything you want in a linebacker. His tackle record has stood for nearly 50 years, and I don’t know that anyone will break it because of the way the game is played today. “Bubba was a great player who always had a smile on his face off the field. But on the field, he would knock the stew out of you.” Brown was one of the reasons Clemson jumped on the national scene in 1977. The sophomore was a part-time starter, but his 120 tackles helped Clemson finish the season ranked in the top 20 for the first time since 1959. His 170 tackles as a junior in 1978 rank fourth in a season in Clemson history. That year, Clemson faced NC State in Raleigh in what was promoted as a “Battle of the Browns.” Bubba recorded 18 tackles, including three tackles for loss, in helping hold NC State All-American running back Ted Brown to 70 yards in 21 attempts in the Tigers’ 33-10 win. Bubba was named national defensive player of the week by Sports Illustrated. In Clemson’s 1978 Gator Bowl win over Ohio State, Brown tallied a career-high-tying 22 tackles, still the most tackles by a Tiger in a bowl game. Brown’s senior year featured a career-high-tying 22 tackles against NC State and 11 tackles in Clemson’s victory at Notre Dame. He finished his career with a 10-tackle performance against Baylor in the 1979 Peach Bowl, his ninth double-figure tackle game of the season. In addition to his 515 career tackles, Brown collected 17 tackles for loss, nine pass breakups, six caused fumbles, three fumble recoveries and four interceptions. After his football career, Brown moved to Detroit and earned his undergraduate degree from Wayne State University in 1995. He worked in the education field for most of his career. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date. Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with FOX Carolina. For more free content like this, download our apps.
