Former Eagles DE Greg Brown Dies at Age 63

Former Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Greg Brown died Saturday, according to Ray Didinger of the team's website. He was 63.

Brown played in Philadelphia for six seasons (1981-86), posting 50.5 sacks in that time, which ranks sixth in team history.

He then spent two years in Atlanta, posting two sacks in that time.

He was a force between the 1983 and '86 seasons, posting 46.5 sacks, including a career-high 16 in 1984. Not bad numbers for an undrafted defensive end who was working in construction out of college when his former coach at Eastern Illinois, John Teerlink, bumped into him in 1981.

When Brown told Teerlink—then a coach at Illinois—that football hadn't worked out for him, Teerlink made a call to former Illinois assistant John Rehfield, who was working in the Eagles personnel department, per Didinger. Because Teerlink had played five seasons in the NFL, the Eagles trusted his recommendation. They signed Brown and invited him to training camp ahead of the 1981 season.

While Brown weighed just 220 pounds when he first reported to Philly, he impressed the coaches with his quickness off the edge. But Brown put on more muscle and weight and made the team, carving out a very nice career for himself.