Greatest Kansas Football Players Bracket: Mike McCormack vs Gilbert Brown|Kansas Hot Topics|Team BattleGround|College BattleGround

(3) Mike McCormack

Mike played offensive line for the Jayhawks from 1948-50.  While at Kansas, McCormack became first team All-Conference in his senior season.  He would be taken #34 overall in the 1951 NFL Draft, but played only one season before being drafted into the US Army.  After serving three years in Korea, he came back to the States to find out that he was a free agent because the team that draft him, the New York Yanks, had folded.

He immediately signed with Baltimore but was then traded to Cleveland, where he would spend an eight year career.  He is widely regarded as one of the best offensive linemen ever to play in the NFL.  After his playing career, he spent 17 years as a head coach in the NFL with various franschises: the Eagles, Colts, and Seahawks, as well as several stints as an assistant.

McCormack was instrumental in founding the Carolina Panthers, and served as their GM from their founding in 1993 until 1997.

Mike is in the Ring of Honor at KU’s Memorial Stadium, has a statue at Carolina’s stadium, and was called by legendary Browns owner Paul Brown “… the finest offensive tackle who ever played pro football.”  He was the second Jayhawk to be enshrined in Pro Football’s Hall of Fame, an honor he achieved in 1984.

(30) Gilbert Brown

Gilbert played at KU from 1989-92, choosing Kansas over Bo Schembechler and Michigan because he reportedly was looking for a quiet, small-town environment different from the one he was used to in Detroit.  He was part of the 1992 Aloha Bowl team under Glen Mason.  His stats in college don’t really jump out at you, hence the low seeding, I would imagine due to his teammate at the time, Dana Stubblefield.  He started all but 2 games in his Kansas career.

Brown was taken 79th overall in the 1993 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, who cut him late in training camp due to his weight.  The Green Bay Packers picked him up the next day, but Gilbert would only play in 2 games that season while he worked on his weight.

After missing the 1994 and 1995 seasons with injuries (ACL, elbow), he finally played a complete season in 1996.  He would spend his entire career with Green Bay, and ended up second in Packers history in playoff games played behind Bret Favre.  He was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2008.