Bethune-Cookman University Athletics

No stranger to the Daytona Beach or Volusia County area, Pat Brown is set to enter his first year as an assistant coach for Bethune-Cookman in 2025, after spending the 2012 season as a graduate assistant for the Wildcats under former head coach Brian Jenkins.
 
Most recently, Brown coached at Abilene Christian, where he served as their Running Backs Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. His role was immediately felt upon his arrival on campus when he recruited and coached the best player in the Division I history of Abilene Christian in the form of Sam Hicks.
 
Hicks went on to have a record-breaking year in 2024, as did the entirety of the running backs core. Collectively, the running backs unit had over 3,300 all-purpose yards, 30 total touchdowns, 500 yards receiving, over 2,100 yards rushing, and averaged 5.9yds per carry. Isaiah Johnson and Hicks ranked in the top 100 of the country in multiple categories, including rushing touchdowns, yards per carry, yards per game, and total rushing yards. Additionally, Hicks was the only player in the country to be named All-American at two different position – running Back and kick returner, in multiple publications (Associated Press, Stats Perform FCS Football Central-SI). Hicks ended the season ranked second nationally for all-purpose
yards (2,216), seventh in the country for rushing yards (1,333) and total touchdowns (17), as well as tied for 11th in the country for kickoff return average (27.1) per return.
 
Prior to his time at ACU, Brown was the Wide Receivers Passing Game Coordinator with Division II powerhouse Valdosta State in Georgia.
 
In 2023, Brown’s wide receivers room ranked as one of the tops in the nation including racking up 3,765 yards, 30 receiving touchdowns and 264 receptions. This eventually led to four wide receivers having over 550 receiving yards; two receivers having over 800 yards receiving; and one topping over the 1,000-yard mark, respectfully. As a result, Brown coached three receivers that received postseason Gulf South Conference (GSC) accolades. BK Smith made first team all-conference, as well
as all-region in the Division II Playoffs. Council Allen was a second team all-conference selection. And Rod Bullard made Freshmen Player of the Week on two occasions in the GSC. Smith and Bullard were also named to the GSC All-Academic Team.
 
While at Valdosta State, Brown also coached the kick return unit on special teams which had two of the top returners in the country – Xavier Zig Williams (averaged 25.3 yds per return) and Bullard (24.8 yds per return).
 
In 2019, Brown was hired as the head coach for the varsity squad at Seabreeze High School in Ormond Beach, Florida. As part of his inaugural season, Brown was a part of one of the biggest turnarounds in the history of the FHSAA. His Sandcrabs team went 5-5 after taking over a program that previously won just six (6) games total across three complete seasons (2016-2018) prior to his arrival. Brown led Seabreeze to the FHSAA Playoffs in 2020, with a playoff victory and was named the Florida Athletic Coaches Association District 9 to 6-A Coach of the Year.
 
During the 2021 season, Brown led Seabreeze to its first district championship in 14 years, along with a playoff berth for the second consecutive year. During Brown’s tenure as head coach from 2019-2022, he helped send more than 21 student-athletes to college, including all levels of football from NAIA to Power Four.
 
Brown is returning to one of his alma mater’s after serving as a wide receiver at Bethune-Cookman in 2010, where
he was a key member of arguably one of the best football teams in Wildcats history, and also played collegiately at
Rutgers (2007-2009). In 2010, he graduated from Rutgers with his bachelor’s degree in economics. He would go on to graduate from Bethune-Cookman University in 2012 with his master’s degree in Transformative Leadership. After his
collegiate career concluded, Brown signed with the Canadian Football League (CFL) playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders (2011-12). In 2013, he played for the Hamburg Blue Devils of the German Football League (GFL).
 
After his professional playing career concluded, he returned to Daytona Beach with his wife Dr. Michelle Brown and now, two children – Patrick Brown Jr. (6) and Layla Brown (5).