Bud Brown (1990) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Bud Brown

Induction:
1990

Bud Brown was an outstanding defensive back for the Golden Eagles from 1980 to 1983 and played an important part on some of the great "Nasty Bunch" defenses that played in two post-season bowl games.
As a freshman Brown saw considerable action as a reserve cornerback and a valuable member of the special teams. Brown finished his freshman season with just seven tackles but quickly showed he had the potential to be solid part of the Golden Eagle defenses in the coming years.
That 1980 Southern Miss team won its first six games and was ranked No. 25 in the country, before losing to then No. 1 Alabama. the team finished the regular season with an 8-3 record and made the school's first season post-season appearance in nearly 25 years, beating McNeese State in the Independence Bowl.
The 1980 Golden Eagle defense ranked third in the country in pass defense allowing just 94.3 yards per game and was 10th in total defense giving up just 254.6 yards per outing.
Brown moved into the starting lineup at strong safety in "The Nasty Bunch" defense in 1981 and help lead the Golden Eagles to one of the school's greatest seasons ever. He would finish the year as the fifth leading tackler on the team with 66 stops and also had his first career interception, a caused fumble and three passes broken up. The team finished the regular season 9-1-1 and advanced for the second straight year to post-season play, battling Missouri in the Tangerine Bowl. That '81 team was ranked as high as No. 8 in the country.
Brown's play helped "The Nasty Bunch" finish first in the country in scoring defense giving up only 8.1 points per game. The pass defense finished seventh in the nation allowing 114.0 yards per game, while the squad ranked fifth in total defense allowing only 239.0 yards per game.
Brown was the third leading tackler on the team in 1982 with 94 tackles and recorded five interceptions, tying for the team lead, He also broke up three passes, caused a fumble and had a quarterback sack.
The 1982 team had a 7-4 record and one of the highlights that year was a 38-29 win over Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, snapping the Crimson Tide's 56-game home winning streak.
Brown led the team in tackles a senior in 1983 with 123 and had his seventh career interception, in addition to breaking up 10 passes. He also recorded five tackles for losses, three key blocks on punt returns and recovered two fumbles.
The 1983 team established themselves as one of the nation's best defenses ranking sixth in pass defense (134.6), sixth in total defense (273.8) and fifth in scoring defense (11.6).
The 1983 team finished 7-4 and the teams Brown played on his career were 32-9-1.