University of Illinois Athletics

FOOTBALL • 1987-90

Darrick Brownlow was a three-time First-Team All-Big Ten pick at linebacker for the Fighting Illini. He led the Big Ten in tackles as a sophomore and finished his career second on the Illini career tackles list 483 stops. A 1990 team captain, Brownlow was a Second-Team All-American and the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 1990, when he was also a Butkus Award finalist. Brownlow would earn Defensive MVP honors at the 1991 Hula Bowl All-Star Game. He played seven seasons in the NFL after being chosen in the fifth round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, where he was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. Brownlow was an Indianapolis Cathedral High School teammate of future Illini, and fellow Fighting Illini Athletics Hall of Famer Moe Gardner.