Antonio Brown

Miami Norland High School

Brown attended Miami Norland High School in Miami, Florida, where he was a two-sport athlete in both football and track. In football, Brown played running back, quarterback, wide receiver, and punt returner for the Vikings. He was a two-time Class 6A all-state selection and was also named North Athlete of the Year at 2005 Miami-Dade Gridiron Classic. In track & field, Brown was a two-time state qualifier in the 100-meter dash, and also ran the fourth leg on the Norland 4 × 100 m relay squad, helping them capture the state title at 41.50 seconds. He spent a prep year in 2006 at North Carolina Tech.

North Carolina Tech Prep

Coming out of high school, Brown applied to Florida State University. His admission was denied over academic concerns. After attempting to attend Alcorn State, he decided to enroll at North Carolina Tech Prep. Playing in just five games at quarterback, Brown passed for 1,247 yards and 11 touchdowns, while rushing for 451 yards and 13 touchdowns. Once he finished his lone season at North Carolina Tech Prep, he received a scholarship to play at Florida International University, but he was expelled before the season for an altercation with security. Brown then began reaching out to wide receivers coach Butch Jones at West Virginia, since he had been highly recruited by him. After learning that Jones had left West Virginia to become the head coach at Central Michigan, Brown enrolled at the school and started his college football career as a walk-on freshman.

Freshman season

Brown began attending Central Michigan in 2007 after wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni told him he could fly to Michigan and try out for the team as a walk-on wide receiver. Transitioning from the quarterback position in high school to wide receiver in college was not that difficult for him, and after a few weeks, Central Michigan coaches offered him a scholarship. Brown had difficulty adjusting to the college lifestyle, though, and being on time for meetings and practice. Azzanni and his wife helped him get situated and into an established routine, and he soon became like a part of their family. During his first season at Central Michigan, Brown played in 14 games. He played well enough to win the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year and was All-Conference as a returner. For his freshman season, he had 102 receptions for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns.

Sophomore season

Brown started every game during his sophomore season in 2008. Against Temple, he had three receptions for 33 yards and a season-high two touchdown receptions. On November 28, while playing at Eastern Michigan he had seven receptions for a season-high 172 yards and a touchdown. For the season, Brown hauled in 93 receptions for 998 yards and seven scores.

Junior season

In his junior season against Akron on September 26, 2009, Brown had nine receptions for 89 yards and a season-high two touchdowns against the Zips. For the 2009 season, he had five games with over 100 receiving yards. In his last regular season game on January 6, 2010 against Troy, Brown had a season-high 13 receptions for 178 yards. He finished 2009 with single-season bests of 110 receptions (also a school record), 1,198 receiving yards, and nine touchdowns. For his career at Central Michigan, he had a school-record 305 receptions, (including the top three seasons with the most receptions in school history), 3,199 receiving yards (4th all-time), and 22 touchdowns (3rd all-time). On January 7, 2010, he announced he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2010 NFL Draft.

Professional career

Coming out of Central Michigan, the majority of analysts and scouts projected Brown to be a fifth or sixth round draft selection. He was ranked as the 37th best wide receiver by NFLDraftScout.com and was invited to the NFL combine, where he completed the entire workout and all the positional drills. Brown participated at Central Michigan's Pro Day and decided to try to improve on his 10, 20, and 40-yard dash times after being unsatisfied with the numbers he clocked at the combine. He was able to lower his time in all three categories.

On January 7, 2010, Brown announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2010 NFL Draft. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in the sixth round (195th overall) in the 2010 NFL Draft. He was the 22nd wide receiver selected in the draft and the second by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He picked the jersey number 84, which he explained: "Eight times four is 32. Thirty-two teams looked past me, even the Steelers. So every time I go out there it’s a little added motivation."

2010 season

On June 15, 2010, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Brown to a three-year, $1.28 million contract with a signing bonus of $73,075.

He entered training camp competing with Emmanuel Sanders, Tyler Grisham, Stefan Logan, Isaiah Williams, and Brandon Logan to be the Steelers' backup wide receivers. Brown was named the Steelers' fifth wide receiver on their depth chart, behind veterans Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Antwaan Randle El, and Arnaz Battle.

On September 19, 2010, Brown made his regular season debut against the Tennessee Titans and returned two kicks and a punt for 128 yards, including an 89-yard touchdown from a reverse on the first play of the game. On October 3, 2010, Brown made his first career catch for a six-yard gain during a 17–14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. During a Week 17 contest against the Cleveland Browns, Brown made a season-high four catches for 52 yards in a 41-9 victory. He finished his rookie season with 16 receptions for 167 yards in ten games.

The Steelers finished the 2010 season with a 12-4 record and finished first in the AFC North. On January 15, 2011, Brown appeared in his first postseason game and caught a 58-yard pass on 3rd & 19 from Ben Roethlisberger to set up the game-winning touchdown. He finished his first playoff game with a season-high 75 yards on three receptions as the Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional game 31-24. The following week in the AFC Championship game against the New York Jets, at the two-minute warning, Brown caught a 14-yard pass on 3rd & 6, sealing the 24-19 victory for the Steelers and advancing them to the Super Bowl. On February 6, 2011, he appeared in his first Super Bowl and finished with one catch for a one-yard gain in the 31–25 Super Bowl XLV loss to the Green Bay Packers.

2011 season

Brown entered training camp competing with Emmanuel Sanders, Arnaz Battle, Limas Sweed, and Jerricho Cotchery to be the Steelers' third wide receiver after the departure of Antwaan Randle El. He won the competition and was named the third wide receiver on the depth chart behind Hines Ward and Mike Wallace. Brown was also named the starting kick returner and punt returner.

He made his first appearance of the season in the Steelers' season-opener against the Baltimore Ravens and finished with two receptions for 14 yards and had three kickoff returns for 34 yards in a 35-7 loss. On October 30, 2011, Brown had a season-high nine receptions for 67 yards and caught his first career touchdown reception on a seven-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger in a 25–17 victory over the New England Patriots. The next game, he caught five passes for 109 yards, marking his first career game with over 100 receiving yards, in a 23-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. On November 13, 2011, he earned his first career start and made five receptions for 86 yards in a 24-17 defeat of the Cincinnati Bengals. On December 4, 2011, he returned a punt for a 60-yard touchdown and made two catches for 67 yards, as the Steelers routed the Cincinnati Bengals 35-7. The punt return for a touchdown was the first in his career and Brown was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance. In a Week 14 win over the Cleveland Browns, he made his second start of the season and ended the game with five catches for a season-high 151-yards and scored a season-long 79-yard touchdown in a 14-3 victory. He finished the season with 69 receptions for 1,108 yards and two touchdown receptions in 16 games and three starts. The Pittsburgh Steelers finished 12-4 and received a playoff berth. On January 8, 2012, Brown caught five passes for 70 yards and had one carry for 18 yards in a 29-23 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Wild Card Round.

He became the first player in NFL history to have more than 1,000 yards receiving and returning in the same year. For his efforts, Brown was selected as a punt returner for the 2012 Pro Bowl. On January 29, 2012, Brown appeared in his first career Pro Bowl and caught two passes for 15 yards, helping the AFC defeat the NFC 51-49.

2012 season

On July 28, 2012, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Brown to a five-year, $42.5 million extension that included an $8.5 million signing bonus.

With the retirement of Hines Ward during the off season, Brown entered training camp competing with Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders to be the starting wide receivers. Brown and Wallace were subsequently named the starters at the position to begin the regular season. In the Steelers' season opener against the Denver Broncos, Brown finished the 31-19 loss with four receptions for 74 yards and had one carry for four yards. On September 23, 2012, Brown had seven receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown, while also making his first touchdown reception of the season on an 11-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger in a 34-31 loss at the Oakland Raiders.

On November 4, 2012, Brown was fined $10,000 by the NFL for unsportsmanlike conduct when he ran backwards for the final 20 yards of a punt return touchdown against the Washington Redskins the previous week. The following game, Brown suffered a high ankle sprain and left the game with two catches for 19 yards in a 24-20 victory over the New York Giants. The ankle injury prevented him from appearing in the next three games. In a Week 15 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, he made a season-high eight catches for 76 yards and a touchdown in a 27-24 loss. The following week, Brown caught five passes for a season-high 97 yards and scored a 60-yard touchdown in a 13-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He finished the 2012 season with 66 receptions for 787 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games and ten starts.

2013 season

Brown entered the 2013 regular season as one of the Steelers' starting wide receivers with Emmanuel Sanders. The team had been unable to reach a contract agreement with former starter Mike Wallace in the offseason, and he left for the Miami Dolphins via free agency.

Brown started the Steelers' season opener against the Tennessee Titans and had five receptions for 71 yards in a 16-9 loss. On September 22, 2013, Brown caught nine passes for a season-high 196 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-23 loss to the Chicago Bears. His first touchdown reception of the season came on a 33-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger. The following game, he caught a season-high 12 passes for 88 yards in a 34-27 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

On December 22, 2013, Brown broke Yancey Thigpen's single-season team record of 1,398 receiving yards set in 1997. Brown also became only the second Steeler to amass at least 100 receptions in a season, joining former teammate Hines Ward. On December 29, he, along with Pierre Garçon of the Washington Redskins, tied Jimmy Smith as the only players to record at least five receptions in every single game of an NFL season in a win against the Browns. In addition, Brown became the only receiver in NFL history to record five receptions and at least 50 yards in every single game of an NFL season. He finished the 2013 season with a total of 110 receptions for 1,499 yards and eight touchdowns in 16 games and 14 starts. On December 27, 2013, Brown was selected for the Pro Bowl as a receiver and a punt returner. On January 3, 2014, Brown was named to the AP All-Pro team for the first time in his career.

2014 season

In the Steelers' season opener against the Cleveland Browns, while returning a punt, Brown attempted to hurdle Cleveland Browns punter Spencer Lanning and kicked him in the facemask, garnering significant media attention. He finished the 30-27 victory with five receptions for 116 yards and later apologized for the kick, claiming it was an accident. On September 11, 2014, Brown was fined $8,200 for kicking the punter. On October 20, 2014, against the Houston Texans, Brown threw his first career touchdown pass, a three-yard strike to wide receiver Lance Moore. The following game, Brown caught ten passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns in a 51-34 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. During a Week 9 contest against the Baltimore Ravens, Brown made a season-high 11 catches for 144 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown reception in the 43-23 victory. In 2014, Brown led the NFL in receptions (129), receiving yards (1,698), and was tied for second in touchdowns (13); all three were new team records.

2015 season

Brown started in the Steelers' season opening loss against the New England Patriots and caught nine passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. The following week, he had nine receptions for 195 yards and a touchdown, as the Steelers routed the San Francisco 49ers 43-18. This brought his career total to 5,587 yards, good for 200th on the NFL's all-time receiving yards list. He also moved past Steelers' legend Lynn Swann on the all-time list. In Week 3, Brown had 108 receiving yards on 11 catches and led the NFL in receiving yards for the week. Brown remained first on the receiving yards list through Week 4, although he had only five receptions for 42 yards in the fourth game. On November 8, 2015, Brown caught a career-high 17 passes from Roethlisberger for a career-high 284 yards in a 38-35 win over the Oakland Raiders. On December 6, 2015, he hauled in eight passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns in a 45–10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. This game is particularly notable for a play in which Brown returned a punt for a touchdown and then proceeded to leap onto the goalpost. He was flagged on the play for excessive celebration. On December 9, 2015, Brown was fined $11,576 by the NFL for the incident. In a Week 15 matchup with the Denver Broncos, he caught 16 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-27 victory. On January 3, 2016, Brown totaled 13 receptions for 187 yards and a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns. He finished the regular season with a league-high 136 receptions for 1,834 yards and 10 touchdowns – the first two marks eclipsing his own team records of 129 catches and 1,698 yards. With the 136 receptions, he set two NFL records: most receptions in a two-year span with 265; and most receptions in a three-year span with 375. Also, with his 16 receptions against the Browns, Brown became the first receiver to post two 16+ catch games in a single season, and his four games of 175+ yards in a season also set a new NFL record.

The Steelers opened postseason play with a Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and late in the fourth quarter, Brown left the contest with a concussion after taking a hit from Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict. The Steelers went on to win the game, 18-16. The injury kept Brown out of the Steelers' next game in the Divisional Round, where they lost 23–16 to the eventual Super Bowl 50 champion Denver Broncos.

Brown was named to his third consecutive and fourth career Pro Bowl, his second first-team All-Pro and was ranked as the top wide receiver and the fourth best player on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

2016 season

Brown started the Steelers' season opener against the Washington Redskins and finished the 38-16 victory with eight receptions for 126 yards and two touchdowns. After the game, the NFL fined him a combined $15,191 for wearing baby blue cleats, which violated the league's uniform policy, and for twerking after scoring his second touchdown. After performing a similar dance in the end zone in Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Brown was fined $24,309. The second fine was largely criticized by sportswriters, who considered it much too steep a penalty for a celebration. The league reasoned that the dances were "sexually suggestive".

In Week 3, Brown moved into the NFL top 100 all-time for career receptions, and in Week 9, he joined the top 100 for career receiving yards. In week 10, Brown caught a season-high 14 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown in a 35-30 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. In Week 12, he finished with five receptions for 91 yards and a season-high three touchdown receptions, as the Steelers routed the Indianapolis Colts 28-7. He finished the regular season with a total of 106 receptions (second to Larry Fitzgerald) for 1,284 yards and 12 touchdowns in 15 games and 15 starts. The Steelers decided to sit him for the season finale against the Cleveland Browns as they had already clinched a playoff berth. With the conclusion of the 2016 regular season, Brown ranks second in career receptions and third in career receiving yards for the Steelers, and 57th and 78th all-time among NFL players in those categories.

In the 2016 season, Brown posted his fourth consecutive and fifth career 1,000+ yard season in receiving yards, earning him his fourth consecutive and fifth career Pro Bowl selection on December 20, 2016. He was also named First Team All-Pro for the third consecutive time.

On January 8, 2017, Brown caught five passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns in a 30–12 victory over the Miami Dolphins in their AFC Wild Card Round game. His two touchdowns of 50 and 62 yards were the first time since 2001 that a player had caught two 50+ yard touchdowns in a single post-season game, the first time ever in the first quarter, and the first time a Steeler had two receiving touchdowns in a Wildcard game. In the divisional round, Brown caught six passes for 108 yards in an 18–16 win over the Chiefs, becoming the third Steeler with four or more 100-yard receiving playoff games. After the game, Brown broadcast the team's locker room celebration on Facebook Live in violation of NFL rules and despite the requests of teammates Ben Roethlisberger and Ramon Foster to "keep a low profile on social media". The broadcast included head coach Mike Tomlin speaking crudely about championship round opponent New England, for which Tomlin later apologized and disciplined Brown. Brown had been paid $244,000 by Facebook before the season to "create content" for live channels.

2017 season

On February 27, 2017, Brown signed a new five-year contract with the Steelers through the 2021 season. The contract is a four-year extension worth $68 million ($19 million guaranteed at signing) with a $17 million annual price tag, making Brown the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL.

During Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns, Brown posted a stellar performance with 182 receiving yards on 11 receptions as the Steelers won a close game 21–18.

Career statistics

Personal life

Brown is the son of retired Arena Football League star Eddie Brown, who is considered the best Arena football player of all time. His father played wide receiver for the Albany Firebirds and collegiate football for Louisiana Tech.

He has five children: sons Antonio Brown Jr., Autonomy Brown, Ali Brown, and Apollo Brown, as well as a daughter, Antanyiah Brown.

Brown grew up in the Liberty City section of Miami where he played for T. Y. Hilton's father as a kid. He says as a youth he lacked guidance after leaving home due to conflicts with his stepfather. During his senior year of high school, during a 6-month stretch, he moved around, staying on whatever friend's couches he could find. At one point, he even stayed with Norland Assistant Coach James Upton, during his year at North Carolina Tech Prep. He was so thin in high school that his nickname was "Boney Tony".

Dancing with the Stars

On March 8, 2016, Brown was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 22 of Dancing with the Stars. He was paired with professional dancer Sharna Burgess. Brown and Burgess were eliminated during the semifinals of the show and finished the competition in 4th place overall.

¹ Score by guest judge Zendaya.
² Score by guest judge Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
³ Double elimination week.
⁴ Antonio and Sharna teamed up with Paige VanZant and Mark Ballas to perform a dance designed and coached by Carrie Ann Inaba.
⁵ To avoid favoritism, the judges were unable to score their own teams; instead the general public scored the team-up dances on a scale of 1 - 10, and the average score was counted among the remaining judges.
⁶ Danced with professional troupe member Hayley Erbert in addition to Sharna Burgess.