Football | 2/24/2026 1:26:00 PM
GREENSBORO — From chasing goals on the soccer field to chasing history on the gridiron, Andrew "Money" Brown continues to lead a barrier-breaking journey.
He's now the first kicker in North Carolina A&T history invited to the NFL Combine and the sole HBCU athlete on the Combine roster. Soccer was his first love and the sport he expected to stick with for years until his middle school didn't field a team and his father urged a pivot to football, a shift that's now carried him all the way to Indianapolis.
On Saturday, while he was on the Yulman Stadium turf helping Team Gaither win the HBCU Legacy Bowl, Brown received an official invitation to participate in the NFL Combine's Specialist Showcase. He is set to kick for NFL teams on Wednesday.
"I was a little surprised, to be honest, kind of shocked," said Brown, a 2025 HBCU Special Teams Player of the Year. "But I was pretty grateful for it, just because it's an experience that only one percent of the one percent get to do."
The flurry of emotions had little time to settle as Brown hopped on a 5 a.m. flight back home to Birmingham on Sunday, and enjoyed a single day of rest before quickly getting back on the move with a 7:30 a.m. Tuesday flight to Indianapolis for one of the biggest days of his career.
It's a whirlwind of travel that he embraces. He's an early-morning guy, and this is the kind of chaos he's been working for as his collegiate career came to an end. Brown is one of only eight players selected nationwide for the Showcase. The other seven hail from Power Four programs, including Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Syracuse, Michigan State, and Michigan.
The athletes will complete drills on the field and then have interviews with representatives from various professional franchises. His last collegiate head coach, Shawn Gibbs, knows his former kicker is ready to take the big stage.
"He's got ice water in his veins," said Gibbs, who also served as A&T's running backs and special teams coach from 2011-2017. "No moment is too big for him, and I know that if he's given the opportunity, he'll do well for anything."
Brown solidified his name as one of the greatest to wear a North Carolina A&T jersey. His selection marks a historic first, and he represents his university with pride. However, for all the communities he represents, Brown says the most important name he carries is the one on the back of his jersey.
At the Legacy Bowl, he spoke about how meaningful it was to honor his family on a national stage. His mother, Pam, will travel to Indiana with him and is the only person allowed inside the stadium to watch him kick on Wednesday. As Brown keeps his sights on the unpredictable future that lies ahead, he doesn't forget to look back at the generations that may be watching him now.
"Have fun. That's the most important thing," he advises. "If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right… always try to get better. It's always good to be at the best of your ability at any given time, because you never know when [your time] is gonna come."
Brown is the program's all-time leader in field goals made (51). He went 5-for-5 on 50-yard field goal attempts during the 2025 season. He also also owns the program record for longest field goal made when he booted a 56-yarder against Towson on November 1, 2025.
The Specialist Showcase will be broadcast live on NFL Network.
