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NFL and collegiate coaching veteran Greg Brown is named co-defensive coordinator of the Arizona Wildcats.

Veteran NFL and collegiate coach Greg Brown has joined the University of Arizona football staff as co-defensive coordinator, UA Coach Mike Stoops announced.

Brown, 52, comes to Tucson from Dan Hawkins' staff at the University of Colorado, where he was defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach, similar to his role at Arizona, where he'll work with linebackers coach Tim Kish in coordinating defensive efforts.

"Greg's a great addition to our staff," said Stoops. "His experience at many levels and his ability to develop players will be a real boost to our defense. And Tim's expertise with our system will forge a collaboration that should bring a new dynamic to our defensive efforts," he said.

Kish has been linebackers coach for Stoops since his arrival for the 2004 season and he and Brown will take over for Stoops' brother, Mark, who left to take the coordinator's role at Florida State after UA's Pacific Life Holiday Bowl appearance capped a second consecutive 8-5 season.

Brown spent four years in Boulder, the last three as the passing game defensive coordinator. It was his second stint at Colorado, following and preceding National Football League jobs with six different teams for 15 years.

Two of his Colorado players, Deon Figures and Chris Hudson, won the Jim Thorpe Award in 1992 and 1994, respectively and Brown has coached five all Big 8 or Big 12 performers, six draft picks and 15 NFL All-Pro performers.

"I'm eager to get going," said Brown, who is currently helping the UA complete its 2010 recruiting class. "Mike's program has an outstanding defensive reputation and it's a great opportunity for me to work with Coach Kish and keep that going," he said.

Brown joined the CU staff under new coach Dan Hawkins following the completion of the 2005 National Football League season. In his first two seasons at Colorado, he helped tutor Terrence Wheatley, coaching him to first-team All-Big 12 honors and a second round NFL draft pick by the New England Patriots. In his final year he coached Cornerback Cha'Pelle Brown to second-team All-Big 12 honors, with three other secondary players earning honorable mention.

He wrapped up his fourth and final year as a defensive assistant with the NFL's New Orleans Saints in 2005 under coach Jim Haslett. In that season, the Saints' pass defense ranked third in the entire NFL, allowing a paltry 178 yards per game.

A 15-year NFL coaching veteran, developing top notch defensive backs became his specialty as he was often sought after for new coaching staffs around the league.

He coached the secondary for three years (1991-93) at Colorado under coach Bill McCartney. Colorado led the nation in pass completion defense and the Big 8 in pass defense in 1992; he also coached the kickoff coverage unit on special teams for the Buffs. He joined the CU staff days after the Buffs won their first national championship in 1991 and returned to the NFL in 1994, joining the Atlanta staff as defensive backs coach; the Falcons finished second that season in the league with 23 interceptions.

He spent the 1995-96 seasons as the secondary coach for San Diego, with the Chargers finishing in the top five both years in fewest yards allowed per completion. He also coached Rodney Harrison, who eventually would become one of the league's top safeties. He moved on to the Tennessee Oilers, coaching the secondary in both 1997 and 1998; he again coached three of the top defensive backs in the game, cornerback Samari Rolle and safeties Blaine Bishop and All-Pro Marcus Robertson.

In 1999, he served as the defensive backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers. He rejoined the Atlanta Falcons as secondary coach for the 2000 and 2001 seasons before moving on to New Orleans, where he was a defensive assistant for quality control in 2002 before being promoted to defensive assistant/cornerbacks coach in 2003, a position he held for three seasons with the Saints.

He began his coaching career in 1981 as a graduate assistant at the University of Texas-El Paso, his alma mater, where he worked with the secondary. The following year, 1982, he came back to Colorado, working that fall as a defensive coach at Green Mountain High School in Lakewood.

He made his first move to the professional ranks the following spring, joining the staff of the Denver Gold of the United States Football League. He coached the secondary for the Gold for two seasons (1983-1984) before moving on to the National Football League for the first time in the summer of 1984, joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Staff. For the Bucs, he coached three different positions: defensive quality control (1984), offensive quality control (1985) and the U-backs/tight ends (1986).

Brown returned to the college game in 1987, coaching the defensive backs for two seasons at the University of Wyoming before doing the same at Purdue University for the 1989 and 1990 campaigns. He then returned home to Colorado for a second time in joining McCartney's staff in 1991.

He graduated from the UTEP in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in education. At UTEP, he lettered twice at cornerback under Bill Michael, and received the Coca-Cola Gold Helmet Award for his play against San Diego State in September 1979. He earned his associate's degree from Glendale, Ariz., Junior College in 1978.

He was born Oct. 10, 1957, in Denver, and graduated from Arvada (Colo.) High School, where he lettered in both football and track. His father, Irv, is a longtime Denver radio personality and the former head baseball coach and one-time assistant football coach at the University of Colorado.