Blue and Gold Illustrated

Oct. 21, 2013 Issue

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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where have you gone? demic reasons and played one season at Tulane and two at Utah State.) The volume at different schools gave them the edge over the Selmons — Lucious, Dewey and Lee Roy — at Oklahoma in the 1970s. The most dominant defensive player in Notre Dame history, defensive end Ross was the eldest and helped lead the Fighting Irish to national titles in 1973 and 1977. Rather than run from his brother's immense shadow, Jimmie Jr. chose to enroll at Notre Dame in 1975, even though Ross had been expelled during his sophomore year in 1974 before getting readmitted the next season. During Jimmie's recruitment, head coach Ara Parseghian resigned as the head coach and was replaced by Green Bay Packers head coach Dan Devine. "That was a little disappointing because I hadn't heard much about Dan Devine," Browner recalled. "But coming from a small town, I liked the people, the situation, the history as a school. It was a warm feeling I got, beside my brother being there. "It was just a first-class organization. It was not difficult to try to pick certain schools that you wanted to be affiliated with, and that was at the top of my list." Browner was recruited as a linebacker — but became overshadowed by two fellow linebacker recruits that year, Bob Golic and Steve Heimkreiter, who to this day rank second and fourth, respectively, on Notre Dame's career tackles chart. Upon reporting to camp, Browner was shifted to fullback because of the graduation of Wayne "The Train" Bullock and the dismissal from school that month of his projected successor, former halfback Art Best. Browner made the start in the opener, a Monday night game at Boston College, and responded with 95 yards on 24 rushing attempts while tallying the season's first touchdown on a nine-yard run in the 17-3 victory. He received the game ball on offense, while Ross was awarded it on defense. Through four games, Browner led the team in rushing before some torn ligaments in his knee sidelined him for several games. Soon, Browner was in the shadows again. Replacing him was fellow freshman Jerome Heavens — who would finish with a team-high 756 rushing yards and an average of 5.9 yards per carry, nearly doubling Browner's 394-yard total. A Hit At Safety With Heavens established at fullback, and the defensive backfield in need of bodies, Browner shifted to strong safety the following spring and never missed a start (36 straight games) the next three seasons. Lining up on the same side of the ball as his brother was a bonus. "We worked out together, we motivated each other," Browner said. "He helped make me better, and I helped make him better, too." As a sophomore, the younger Browner developed a knack for clutch interceptions, snatching one in the final minutes at the South Carolina 15 to preserve a 13‑6 victory, grabbing

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