Ex-Seahawks captain Brown, 52, dies

KIRKLAND, Wash. – One of the captains of the last Seattle Seahawks team to taste postseason glory died suddenly Tuesday at the age of 52.

Dave Brown, whose 11-year Seahawks career was highlighted by playoff wins in 1983 and 1984, died while playing basketball in Lubbock, Texas. He was an assistant football coach there with Texas Tech University.

The news saddened the few remaining employees who are still with the Seahawks organization.

“I’m totally numb,” said current quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn, who played with Brown for nine seasons. “It really is a shock. I talked to him while he was on the recruiting trail with Texas Tech, and there were no obvious (physical) signs of anything going wrong.”

According to reports out of Lubbock, Brown died of an apparent heart attack he suffered during an afternoon pickup basketball game on campus.

Former teammate Charle Young described Brown as the kind of person who stayed in top physical shape even into his 50s. Like Zorn, Young played with Brown on the 1984 team that holds the distinction of being the last Seahawks unit to win a playoff game.

“Dave Brown was a leader,” Young said. “Dave Brown was a family man.”

Seahawks vice president Gary Wright, one of the few remaining employees who have been with the organization since its inception, was also shaken by the news.

“I don’t know anybody who didn’t love Dave Brown,” Wright said. “He was a special guy: a special player and a special person. He was a great guy to have around.”

Brown is the franchise’s all-time leader in interceptions (50) and also ranks among Seattle’s top 10 in games played (159) and games started (159).

Brown was an assistant coach with the Seahawks from 1992 to ‘98, serving under former head coach and Everett native Dennis Erickson during most of his tenure. He started coaching Texas Tech’s secondary in 2001.

“Dave lived a great life that anyone could be proud of,” Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach said in a statement. “He will be missed, but we are honored to have had the opportunity to know him.”

According to a statement put out by Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke, the team will observe a moment of silence in Brown’s honor before Saturday’s playoff game with the Redskins.

“We’re going to miss him,” Zorn said. “… It won’t be the same without him.”