Callie Brownson (born October 15, 1989) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

coach and player who is the

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). In September 2018, she became the first woman hired as a full-time

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

coach, when she was promoted by Dartmouth, after briefly working as an intern for the team. Brownson played for the

D.C. Divas The D.C. Divas are a football team in the Women's Football Alliance. Based in the Washington Metropolitan Area, the Divas play their home games at The St. James Sports Complex in Springfield VA. Formerly, the Divas played at Eastern High School ...

in the

Women's Football Alliance The Women's Football Alliance (WFA) is a professional full-contact Women's American football tackle minor league that began play in 2009. It is the largest 11-on-11 football league for women in the world, and the longest running active women's ...

(WFA) from 2010 to 2017 as a free safety and running back, winning two championships. She also won two gold medals with the

United States women's national American football team The United States women's national American football team represents the United States in international women's American football competitions. It is currently ranked no.1 in the IFAF. It is controlled by USA Football and is recognized by the Inter ...

Early life

Born in

Mount Vernon, Virginia Mount Vernon is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 12,416 at the 2010 census. Primarily due to its historical significance and natural recreation and beauty, ...

, Brownson was raised by her father, Bruce B. Brownson. She attended

Mount Vernon High School Mount Vernon High School could refer to: *Mount Vernon High School (Arkansas) — Mount Vernon, Arkansas * Mount Vernon High School (Illinois) — Mount Vernon, Illinois *Mount Vernon High School (Fortville, Indiana) * Mount Vernon High Sch ...

, where she played softball, as the football team would not allow girls.

Playing career

While attending

George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...

, Brownson tried out for the D.C. Divas in the Women's Football Alliance (WFA) at age 19. She played with the team for eight seasons, five of which she served as a team captain and four of which she was named All-American. Brownson was also a member of the United States women's national American football team when it won the IFAF Women's World Championship in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

and

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

Coaching career

Brownson was an assistant football coach at her alma mater, Mount Vernon High School, for three seasons, beginning at age 21. In 2017, she served as a scouting intern for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

. In 2019, she was hired by the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

to serve as a coaching intern. She became the first woman to coach an NFL position group in a regular-season game when she filled in for the

tight ends coach

Drew Petzing Drew Petzing (born March 12, 1987) is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns and Minnesot ...

in a week 12 game against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

on November 29, 2020. She filled in for passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Chad O'Shea during the week 17 game against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

, and for Petzing again during the Browns' first game of the

2020–21 NFL playoffs The National Football League playoffs for the 2020 season began with the Wildcard Round on January 9, 2021, and concluded with Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 7, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas ...

Arrest

On May 27, 2021, Brownson was arrested in

Brunswick, Ohio Brunswick ( or ) is the largest city in Medina County, Ohio, United States approximately 20 mi (32 km) SW of Cleveland. The population was 34,255 at the 2010 census and estimated at 34,880 as of 2019. It is part of the Cleveland Metro ...

after she was observed driving 20 miles per hour above the speed limit. Her

blood alcohol content Blood alcohol content (BAC), also called blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol level, is a measurement of alcohol intoxication used for legal or medical purposes; it is expressed as mass of alcohol per volume or mass of blood. For exampl ...

was .215, over twice the legal limit of .08. On June 8, 2021, Brownson pleaded no contest to a charge of operating a vehicle under the influence. She was fined and ordered to attend a driver intervention program. The Browns announced that she was suspended from team activities and would face discipline.

References

External links

WFA profileDartmouth profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brownson, Callie 1989 births Living people American football running backs American football safeties Female players of American football Dartmouth Big Green football coaches People from Mount Vernon, Virginia George Mason University alumni Cleveland Browns coaches Coaches of American football from Virginia Players of American football from Virginia Female coaches of American football