Colorado State University Athletics
CSU adds Brown as first member of 2011 class
12/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 16, 2010
By Zak Gilbert
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Colorado State has signed Dorian Brown to a financial aid agreement, Head Coach Steve Fairchild announced Thursday.
A 6-1, 216-pound running back from Thompson Valley High School in Loveland, Colo., he is the first official member of the Rams’ Class of 2011.
“I’m glad that we were able to add a quality young man from Colorado,” Fairchild said. “Colorado always is a primary focus for us, and when our state produces outstanding products like Dorian, we want to keep them here, then go far and wide to fill out the remainder of the class.”
Brown wanted to rush for 2,000 yards as a senior, but he never got that opportunity. Six days before the Eagles’ season-opener earlier this fall, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a home scrimmage against Centaurus.
CSU was able to sign Brown, a Denver Post All-Colorado selection after his junior year, this week because he plans to graduate one semester early and enroll at CSU for the spring term. He actually signed his official paperwork on Wednesday, his 18th birthday.
Brown becomes CSU’s third true freshman in as many years to enroll in time for spring ball, following in the footsteps of DE C.J. James and QB Pete Thomas, although Brown isn’t expected to return to 100 percent until fall at the earliest and could redshirt in 2011.
As a junior in 2009, Brown averaged nearly 10 yards per carry, racking up 1,975 yards and 17 touchdowns. The focus of TVHS’ run-first offense, he used 4.34-second speed in the 40-yard dash to draw recruiting interest from Oregon, Cal, Arizona State, UCLA, Colorado, Utah and Air Force. Rated the nation’s No. 28 running back by Rivals.com, he earned first-team Class 4A all-state honors, as well as first-team all-Northern Conference and all-area recognition. He also was nominated to play in the All-American Bowl prior to his senior-season injury.
Playing for the first time as a varsity athlete in 2008, he burst onto the scene with 1,563 yards on 156 carries (10.0 avg.), with 10 TDs, garnering honorable-mention all-state and first-team all-conference honors. A full-time kickoff returner as a sophomore and junior, he saw very few opportunities because opponents usually kicked away from him. He had a touchdown called back by penalty on one 2008 return.
Brown could become one of a handful of well-known athletes to hail from Loveland, which has produced U.S. Olympian and NFL draft choice Jeremy Bloom, and other NFL players Dave McCloughan, Eddie Dove and Jeff Byers, now on the Broncos’ practice squad.
A student with a 3.0 grade-point average, Brown plans to major in health and exercise science with an interest in sports medicine.
