EASTON, Pa. – Ricky Brown will take over as Lafayette's linebackers coach for the 2020 season, it was announced on Friday. Brown, a former NFL player with the Oakland Raiders, spent the last four seasons at his alma mater, Boston College.
 
"I'm excited to add Ricky Brown to our coaching staff. He brings NFL playing experience and FBS coaching experience. Ricky is an energetic and knowledgeable coach who loves football," said John Garrett, the Fred M. Kirby '42 Head Football Coach. "Ricky will relate well to our student-athletes as he pulls from his experience as a student-athlete at Boston College. We welcome Ricky, his wife Brynne and their three children, Brixton, Niko and Koby, to College Hill."
 
Brown spent the last three seasons (2017-19) as the special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach after returning to Boston College in 2016 as the Director of Football Initiatives. In 2018, he coached All-America returner Michael Walker, who led the nation in combined kick and punt return yards and earned All-ACC Second-Team accolades.
 
In 2017, he oversaw a special teams unit that ranked 11th in the nation (third in the ACC) in punt returns (13.11 avg.) and 22nd nationally in kickoff return yards (946 yards). In that season, Walker led the nation in combined kickoff and punt return yards with 1,203 yards and was sixth in the country (first in the ACC) in punt returns (13.11 avg.) and 12th in the country (second in the ACC) in total kickoff return yards (734 yards).
 
Prior to coaching at Boston College, Brown served in a quality control role on defense at USC from 2014-15. In 2014, the Trojans' defense ranked among the nation's top 20 in turnover margin, red-zone defense and third-down conversion defense, as the program earned a trip to the Holiday Bowl.  In 2015, The Trojans won the Pac-12 South title and made a second consecutive appearance in the Holiday Bowl. They scored five defensive touchdowns on the season to finish third nationally.
 
Before getting into coaching, Brown worked for Morgan Stanley as a Wealth Advisory Associate in Los Angeles, obtaining the Series 7, Series 66 and life insurance licenses as well as a firm designation of Financial Planning Specialist.  Prior to working in finance, Brown played six seasons (2006-12) as a linebacker with the Oakland Raiders after entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent. He finished his career with the Baltimore Ravens in 2012-13.
 
Brown's outstanding collegiate career spanned 2002-05 at Boston College. The outside linebacker was the winner of the Scanlan Award in 2005, the highest honor bestowed upon a BC football player, which recognizes accomplishments on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
 
In four seasons, he recorded 184 tackles (118 solo) with 4.5 sacks. In his junior year, Brown had 81 tackles, and had a career-high 10 solo tackles, 13 total, and two tackles for a loss against Syracuse. He finished the 2004 season with five stops in the Continental Tire Bowl victory over North Carolina. He also took home Big East All-Freshman Team honors from The Sporting News in 2002, Big East All-Academic Team honors in 2004 and ACC All-Academic honors in 2005. The Cincinnati, Ohio native graduated with a degree in Finance in 2006.