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A Pro's Pro

Cameron Brown grew up the son of an NBA coach, then forged his own path as a Spartans football standout—and now an NFL coach

Photo courtesy of The San Francisco 49ersCWRU football standout and former coach Cameron Brown is a defensive quality control coach for the San Francisco 49ers.

As a son of NBA coach Mike Brown, Cameron Brown (CWR'20) enjoyed a front-row seat at the practices and games of several teams—including the Cleveland Cavaliers. That heady experience could have invited an outsized sense of privilege, but Brown arrived at Case Western Reserve as a well-grounded, quiet leader and a transfer student aiming to play football and pursue a degree.

"He was our best player who wanted to get even better," said CWRU head football coach Greg Debeljak.

Brown's talent and work ethic led to school records that still stand for career sacks (34 1/2) and single-season sacks (15). And he became the only player in the history of the 13-school Presidents' Athletic Conference to win two defensive Player of the Year awards.

After college, Brown coached and played professionally in Austria, then returned to CWRU as a coach in 2021. Two years later, he secured a full-time job as a defensive quality control coach with the San Francisco 49ers.

In his first season, the 49ers advanced to Super Bowl LVIII, where they lost to Kansas City, 25-22. After finishing his second season in San Francisco, Brown spoke to Think about his upbringing and how CWRU shaped the good habits and critical thinking necessary to excel at football's highest level.

How did growing up the son of an NBA coach and being around star athletes such as LeBron James affect your work in the NFL?

The biggest benefit is having been around professional athletes [before]. If this was [a] first experience, you might get starstruck, and that might negatively impact you in your job. The way I grew up allowed me to be calm and cool in a professional setting and know the grind that comes with coaching.

Describe a typical week during the season?

We're responsible for anything relevant to cross scouting of opponents, and we put that in data form for the defensive-position coaches and our defensive coordinator. Monday through Thursday, we're working 6 a.m. to 10:30 or 11p.m. By Friday, we're already starting to look at the week ahead.

How have you guarded against a sense of entitlement being Mike Brown's son?

I didn't do anything to be born to Mike Brown. I got lucky. So, I don't see why I would treat someone differently just because I got lucky in where I was born. I have a lot of pride in my work ethic. I do my best each and every day to make sure I don't fall into that [entitlement] trap and that I keep forging my own path.

While you played football in high school, you didn't play during your first year at University of Cincinnati (UC). What later changed?

I didn't have any interest from Division I schools even as a walk-on. My body was beat up after high school. I was kind of done playing. One day, I was wearing a UC football shirt, and someone asked if I was on the team. I thought about it later and that I could probably still play. So, I reached out to a few schools. [CWRU] was one of the schools that was very interested in me and one I had a lot of respect for.

You majored in business management, minored in biology—and had athletic and coaching experiences at CWRU. How did all that affect you?

Academically, I think it was real impactful just because of how tough a school it is. Being there helped prepare me for any tough work and critical thinking I might have to do.

Athletically, being there helped instill more of a winning culture in me and good habits. The coaches are awesome. I love them. I still text them. When I go back, I make sure to see them. Not only are they really good coaches, more importantly, they're just awesome people.

The 49ers went to the Super Bowl your first year there. How did that job come about?

My last year coaching at [CWRU], I was planning on doing an internship with [an] NFL team. San Francisco happened to have a really good year the year before, and De-Meco Ryans [then the 49ers' defensive coordinator and now the Houston Texans' head coach] left and took some of the coaches with him. So, I was lucky [there was an opening]. I'm very fortunate to have walked into such a winning situation. Because very easily I could've landed with a team that had a bad culture, a losing record, and I could've been out of the league after my first year. I've been very fortunate to be in an organization where everybody does stuff the right way and I'm able to learn from the best in the business—and be able to keep growing and evolving.

— BUD SHAW