Former NFL coach and Super Bowl champion Kippy Brown has died at the age of 71, leaving behind a remarkable football legacy that stretched from college stardom to some of the biggest sidelines in the NFL.

The University of Memphis announced Brown’s death, prompting an outpouring of tributes from former players and coaches who remembered him as much for his personality as his football knowledge.

Brown first made his name as a quarterback at Memphis State, now the University of Memphis, where he broke barriers as the school’s first Black quarterback.

He appeared in 33 games for the Tigers and helped pull off one of the program’s biggest upsets when Memphis stunned No. 7 Auburn in 1975.

But Brown’s biggest impact would come as a coach.

He entered the NFL with the New York Jets in 1990 as their running backs coach before building a lengthy career that included stops with seven NFL teams.

Along the way, Brown worked with some of football’s biggest stars.

He served as offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins during the Dan Marino era and later coached superstar wide receiver Calvin Johnson with the Detroit Lions.

Brown eventually landed with Pete Carroll’s Seattle Seahawks, serving as wide receivers coach from 2010 through 2014.

That stint ended with the greatest achievement of his coaching career — a Super Bowl ring.

Brown was part of the Seahawks staff that demolished the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, giving Seattle its first championship in franchise history.

Carroll remembered Brown as a beloved figure who could instantly brighten a room.

“He was a great friend to everybody, because he had such a positive, good, fun-loving spirit,” Carroll said in a tribute published by the Seahawks.

“Everybody loved being around Kip. And he had a light about him. He wanted to have a good time and have fun and make things pleasant for everyone around him.”

Carroll also revealed that friends and former colleagues had rallied around Brown and his wife, Deon, in recent weeks.

“He was a wonderful person, and my heart goes out to Deon and the family,” Carroll said. “It’s a beautiful family.”

Former Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin also credited Brown with helping shape both his football career and his life.

“For me as a young person to have him as my rookie coach, I know I would not have been the player I was if it wasn’t for Kippy,” Baldwin said.

Baldwin said Brown had a special way of holding young players accountable while making it clear that he genuinely cared about them.

“I wouldn’t be the man that I am today without Kippy Brown,” he added.

Brown’s accomplishments were eventually recognized by the school where his football journey began.

He was inducted into the University of Memphis M Club Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.

From making history as a college quarterback to coaching NFL legends and finally lifting the Lombardi Trophy, Brown spent decades leaving his mark on football.

He was 71.