Kansas Athletics to add Gilbert Brown to the KU Football Ring of Honor; celebrate 25th anniversary of 1992 Aloha Bowl Champions

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Athletics announced plans to honor one of its all-time greats as defensive lineman Gilbert Brown will be inducted into the KU Football Ring of Honor at the Jayhawks’ home game against Baylor on Saturday, Nov. 4. In addition, Brown and his 1992 Aloha Bowl teammates will celebrate their 25-year anniversary.
 
Kansas Athletics and K Club will be hosting a weekend of events including a private dinner to honor the football student-athletes, support staff and coaches who were a part of the 1992 team. Brown, along with his 1992 Aloha Bowl teammates will also be a part of on-field recognitions when KU plays host to the Bears.
 
With the Jayhawks, Brown helped build a winning program under head coach Glen Mason. He started all but two games in four seasons at KU (1989–92), and is still ranked ninth in the Kansas record books for career tackles-for-loss with 30.0.
 
“Gilbert was our first big time recruit,” said Mason. “I remember his decision came down to Michigan and Kansas. He was a primary factor in turning KU into a winning program.”
 
As a sophomore, Brown was named as the Jayhawks’ ‘Co-Defensive Most Valuable Player’ and earned second team All-Big Eight Conference recognition. He finished second on the team in sacks, tackles-for-loss and fumbles recovered as a junior 1991, while helping the Jayhawks hold opponents to an average of 150.9 yards per game on the ground.
 
His senior campaign. Brown helped guide the Jayhawks to an 8-4 overall mark, including its 23-20 win over 25th-ranked BYU in the 1992 Aloha Bowl and a third-place finish in the Big 8. KU had wins over K-State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State during the middle of season as they reached as high as No. 13 in the Associated Press poll.
 
“In 1992 going to a bowl game was special,” said Mason. “The number of bowls was limited comparted to today. The bowl victory was a fitting end and reward for a good season by a great bunch of guys.”
 
Also a standout in the classroom, Brown earned Academic All-Big Eight honors in 1991. Following his Jayhawk career, Brown was tabbed to play in the 1992 Senior Bowl before going on to be a third round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 1993 NFL Draft.
 
Brown ended up spending the majority of his NFL career playing for the Green Bay Packers (1993–99, 2001–03). He saw action in 125 games (103 starts), recording 292 tackles (186 solo) and seven sacks. Nicknamed “The Gravedigger,” in honor of his celebratory dance following a thunderous tackle, Brown played in 15 playoff games with the Packers. He was a major contributor on strong defenses during the mid-1990s and his best season was 1996, when he helped lead Green Bay to a Super Bowl XXXI title. In July 2008, Brown was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame
 
Brown is the third Jayhawk to have his name added to the Ring of Honor in 2017, joining Aqib Talib and Anthony Collins. He is the 19th Jayhawk to have his names added to the ring on the north end of Kivisto Field at Memorial Stadium.
 
Others in the KU Ring of Honor include Anthony Collins, Nolan Cromwell, Bobby Douglass, Ray Evans, John Hadl, David Jaynes, Bruce Kallmeyer, Curtis McClinton, Mike McCormack, George Mrkonic, Willie Pless, Gil Reich, John Riggins, Gale Sayers, Otto Schnellbacher, Oliver Spencer, Aqib Talib and John Zook.
 
For information regarding Kansas football tickets contact the Kansas Sales Team by calling 800-34-HAWKS or in-person at the Allen Fieldhouse ticket office. Tickets may also be purchased via KUTickets.com.
 
KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.