Longtime North Carolina Assistant To Receive The AFCA’s 2022 Outstanding Achievement Award
December 1, 2022
Ken Browning, longtime assistant coach at the University of North Carolina, has been selected as the recipient of the 2022 AFCA Outstanding Achievement Award. The AFCA Board of Trustees created the Outstanding Achievement Award to recognize AFCA members, past and present, who have achieved outstanding success while coaching football. Browning will be honored at the AFCA Awards Luncheon on Monday, January 9, 2023, during the annual AFCA Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Browning’s notable record has made him one of the leading football coaches in North Carolina at both the high school and collegiate level. Before coaching at North Carolina, Browning developed a successful high school record with stops at Ledford High School from 1970-75 and Northern High School in Durham from 1976-93. He had a combined record of 214-54-6 at both schools, which included earning 10 straight league crowns and the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) State 4-A crown in 1993.
Browning earned AP High School Coach of the Year honors in 1992 and 1993 and was head coach of the North Carolina Shrine Bowl team in 1993. He is a member of the Northern High School Hall of Fame, the Guilford College Sports Hall of Fame and the NCHSAA Hall of Fame. Browning is only the third coach to ever win a state title and the Shrine Bowl in the same year.
The longest tenured football coach in University of North Carolina history, Browning spent 18 seasons as an assistant coach for the Tar Heels. He has served on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball and produced several outstanding players, including first-round NFL Draft picks Vonnie Holliday, Marcus Jones and Ryan Sims, and second-round picks Rick Terry and Russell Davis.
With Browning coaching on defense, North Carolina led the ACC in total defense from 1995-97 and finished No. 2 in the nation in yards allowed in 1996 and 1997. In 2000, Browning became defensive coordinator for UNC and directed a defense that set a school record and led the nation with 53 sacks. He has also been a part of 11 bowl games with the Tar Heels.
Adding to his impressive coaching résumé, Browning was elected as the first president of the North Carolina Football Coaches Association in 1988. His effect on the game within the state of North Carolina has been significant, earning him awards such as the Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award, which was presented to him by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Browning’s ongoing legacy with the Tar Heels continues to this day as he returned as a Special Advisor to the Head Coach in 2019. His commitment to the game is admirable and his willingness to impart his knowledge and experience at the collegiate level continues to inspire so many.
Past Outstanding Achievement Award winners include: Tim Marcum, Tampa Bay Storm (2003); Joe Moore, Pittsburgh, Temple, Notre Dame (2005); Homer Smith, Davidson, Pacific, Army (2006); Ted Kempski, Delaware (2007); Ken Donahue, Alabama, Tennessee, Memphis, Mississippi State (2008); Roland Christensen, Wisconsin-La Crosse, Winona State (2009); Bill Hickey, Notre Dame, Coast Guard, Swarthmore, Princeton (2012); Joe Kines, Jacksonville State, Clemson, Florida, Alabama, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida State, Texas A&M (2013); Woody McCorvey, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi State, Clemson (2014); Mike Terwilliger, East Stroudsburg (2015); Randy Hart, Tampa, Iowa State, Purdue, Ohio State, Washington, Notre Dame, Stanford (2016); George Belu, Marshall, Denison, Miami (Ohio), Colorado, NC State, LSU, Indiana, Wake Forest, Ohio State, Arizona Cardinals, Ohio Dominican (2017); Joe Whitt, Sr., Auburn (2018); Jerry Brown, Northwestern (2019) and Bill Faircloth, Wake Forest (2021).
The American Football Coaches Association was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 11,000 members around the world ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, AFCA was formed, in part, to “maintain the highest possible standards in football and in the coaching profession” and to “provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football.”
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
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Ken Browning, longtime assistant coach at the University of North Carolina, has been selected as the recipient of the 2022 AFCA Outstanding Achievement Award. The AFCA Board of Trustees created the Outstanding Achievement Award to recognize AFCA members, past and present, who have achieved outstanding success while coaching football. Browning will be honored at the AFCA Awards Luncheon on Monday, January 9, 2023, during the annual AFCA Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Browning’s notable record has made him one of the leading football coaches in North Carolina at both the high school and collegiate level. Before coaching at North Carolina, Browning developed a successful high school record with stops at Ledford High School from 1970-75 and Northern High School in Durham from 1976-93. He had a combined record of 214-54-6 at both schools, which included earning 10 straight league crowns and the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) State 4-A crown in 1993.
Browning earned AP High School Coach of the Year honors in 1992 and 1993 and was head coach of the North Carolina Shrine Bowl team in 1993. He is a member of the Northern High School Hall of Fame, the Guilford College Sports Hall of Fame and the NCHSAA Hall of Fame. Browning is only the third coach to ever win a state title and the Shrine Bowl in the same year.
The longest tenured football coach in University of North Carolina history, Browning spent 18 seasons as an assistant coach for the Tar Heels. He has served on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball and produced several outstanding players, including first-round NFL Draft picks Vonnie Holliday, Marcus Jones and Ryan Sims, and second-round picks Rick Terry and Russell Davis.
With Browning coaching on defense, North Carolina led the ACC in total defense from 1995-97 and finished No. 2 in the nation in yards allowed in 1996 and 1997. In 2000, Browning became defensive coordinator for UNC and directed a defense that set a school record and led the nation with 53 sacks. He has also been a part of 11 bowl games with the Tar Heels.
Adding to his impressive coaching résumé, Browning was elected as the first president of the North Carolina Football Coaches Association in 1988. His effect on the game within the state of North Carolina has been significant, earning him awards such as the Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award, which was presented to him by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Browning’s ongoing legacy with the Tar Heels continues to this day as he returned as a Special Advisor to the Head Coach in 2019. His commitment to the game is admirable and his willingness to impart his knowledge and experience at the collegiate level continues to inspire so many.
Past Outstanding Achievement Award winners include: Tim Marcum, Tampa Bay Storm (2003); Joe Moore, Pittsburgh, Temple, Notre Dame (2005); Homer Smith, Davidson, Pacific, Army (2006); Ted Kempski, Delaware (2007); Ken Donahue, Alabama, Tennessee, Memphis, Mississippi State (2008); Roland Christensen, Wisconsin-La Crosse, Winona State (2009); Bill Hickey, Notre Dame, Coast Guard, Swarthmore, Princeton (2012); Joe Kines, Jacksonville State, Clemson, Florida, Alabama, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida State, Texas A&M (2013); Woody McCorvey, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi State, Clemson (2014); Mike Terwilliger, East Stroudsburg (2015); Randy Hart, Tampa, Iowa State, Purdue, Ohio State, Washington, Notre Dame, Stanford (2016); George Belu, Marshall, Denison, Miami (Ohio), Colorado, NC State, LSU, Indiana, Wake Forest, Ohio State, Arizona Cardinals, Ohio Dominican (2017); Joe Whitt, Sr., Auburn (2018); Jerry Brown, Northwestern (2019) and Bill Faircloth, Wake Forest (2021).
The American Football Coaches Association was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 11,000 members around the world ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, AFCA was formed, in part, to “maintain the highest possible standards in football and in the coaching profession” and to “provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football.”
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
