Marquise Brown
 Marquise Brown at practice for the Philadelphia Liberty in 2028. | |||||||||||
| No. 28 – Retired | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Runningback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | October 4, 2001 (aged 59) Brooklyn, NY | ||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||
| Username: | YoungTB | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Pahokee High School | ||||||||||
| College: | Florida State University | ||||||||||
| ISFL Draft: | 2024 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3 | ||||||||||
| DSFL Draft: | 2023 / Round: 3 / Pick: 9 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Roster status: | Retired | ||||||||||
| Career NSFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Marquise Brown (born October 4th, 2001) is a retired American football runningback who played for the Philadelphia Liberty, Baltimore Hawks, and Chicago Butchers of the National Simulation Football League (NSFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles before entering the professional ranks in 2023.
Contents
Early years
Marquise Brown was born in Brooklyn, New York to Rachel Bush and Darius Brown. When Brown was one, he moved with his father to Pahokee, Florida, where he would learn to love the game of football. When he was 15, Brown made the Pahokee Blue Devils freshman team as a runningback. He'd go on to rush for 4,954 yards and 61 touchdowns, breaking Derrick Henry's state high school record for most rushing yards in a single season. He was named a 1st team All-Coast runningback. The following year, he moved up to the varsity team, rushing for 13,623 yards and 204 touchdowns during his time as a varsity runningback, the most rushing yards and touchdowns of any Florida high school runningback. While in college, Brown was scouted heavily by college scouts and was named the best high school runningback in the nation in his senior year. He committed to Florida State University in 2019.
College career
Brown entered Florida State as the leader of a split backfield, paired with runningback Ricky Adams. He finished off his 3 year college career with a total of 4,717 rushing yards and 55 rushing touchdowns and led the Florida State Seminoles to two Orange Bowl appearances and a National Championship appearance.
As a true freshman, Brown started off the season with high expectations and was expected to carry the load of the backfield and for the offense. Florida State ran a "run-first" west coast offense with Brown rarely being used as a receiver. He finished off the season as third in the league in rushing yards with 2060 and leading the league in rushing touchdowns with 26. It was in this season that Brown garnered the nickname "Touchdown Brown". He led the Seminoles to an Orange Bowl appearance against the Oklahoma Sooners, where they'd lose 32-10.
As a true sophomore, Brown broke the sophomore record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season with 32 and rushed for 2,546 rushing yards. He led the Florida State Seminoles offense to be one of the best in College Football with junior quarterback James Blackman as the starting QB. Brown led the team to another Orange Bowl appearance, this time against the Texas Aggies, where they would lose 42-39.
As a true junior, Brown had announced that this would be his last year of college football and that he would be declaring for the DSFL draft once the season was over. Brown went out with a bang, rushing for 2,321 rushing yards and 26 rushing touchdowns in what some had called the best offense in college football with junior quarterback Jeremiah Davidson in the starting spot. The team went to the National Championship where they would lose to the Alabama Crimson Tide 52-39.
College career statistics
| Rushing | Receiving | Kick Returns | Punt Returns | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GP | Att | Yds | Avg | Yds/G | Long | TD | Rec | Yds | Long | TD | Yds | Avg | KR TD | Yds | Avg | PR TD |
| 2020 | FSU | 16 | 397 | 2060 | 5.2 | 128.7 | 82 | 26 | 12 | 124 | 91 | 4 | 888 | 21.4 | 0 | 653 | 10.1 | 0 |
| 2021 | FSU | 16 | 411 | 2546 | 6.2 | 159.1 | 76 | 32 | 8 | 42 | 20 | 2 | 421 | 26.3 | 1 | 284 | 12.9 | 1 |
| 2022 | FSU | 16 | 385 | 2321 | 6 | 145 | 91 | 26 | 11 | 102 | 34 | 1 | 253 | 12.6 | 0 | 341 | 10.6 | 2 |
Professional career
Brown declared for the 2023 DSFL Draft (S8) a week before the draft and he was immediately recognized as a promising prospect among four other talented runningbacks in the draft, Elijah Lagerfield, Ricky Adams (his Florida State teammate), and LaMarcus Strike. The Portland Pythons selected Lagerfield with the fourth pick and Brown was selected by the Marshals with the ninth pick. Meanwhile, Adams and Strike were selected with the 15th and 18th picks respectively. In Brown's rookie year, the Marshals finished 11-3, tying the franchise record for most wins in a season. Brown ended up breaking the franchise record for rushing yardage and rushing touchdowns in a single season previously held by DJ Riddick, and broke the DSFL record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season, previously held by Borro Gore. At the end of the season, he was voted Offensive Player of the Year. The team ended up losing the 2023 SFC Championship (S8) to the Tijuana Luchadores. Brown entered the 2024 ISFL Draft (S9) shortly after.
Going into the draft, Brown was expected to go in the mid to late first round, even being mocked in the second by some. However, he ended up being taken with the third pick by a rebuilding Philadelphia Liberty team. After he was drafted, Brown signed a three-year rookie deal worth $16 million. He decided to stay down in the DSFL and play another year as a Marshal for the first year of his contract, 2023. The Marshals had gotten significantly weaker after losing star players such as Bucky Barnes, Kevin Fitzpatrick, and Brock Weathers III. The Marshals ended up drafting a developing Zenyou Wozy in the draft, leading to them leaning on Brown for most of the season on the offensive side of the ball. In week 7, the Marshals signed free agent Devo Cansino to the team, adding another back to the backfield. The two ended up splitting carries, with Cansino often being used on goal-line and short yardage situations, and Brown generally being used everywhere else. The two totaled for 2,129 rushing yards, with Brown amassing a record breaking 1,665 rushing yards, 331 attempts, and 13 touchdowns. The team ended up losing the 2024 SFC Championship (S9) again to the Luchadores. After the season ended, Brown announced that he would be moving up to the Liberty, thanking the Marshals organization and their fans.
Immediately after the 2025 (S10) draft, the Liberty were expected to be the worst team in the NSFL again with an aging Logan Noble at QB. Brown was one of the only bright spots of the Liberty's season, putting up incredible numbers amidst a weak offense. Brown ended up breaking both the single season rushing yardage record and the single season attempts record during his rookie year of the NSFL, racking up 1,901 rushing yards, 451 carries, and 7 touchdowns. Brown ended up winning the Offensive Rookie Of The Year award, and was nominated for 3 other awards including Runningback Of The Year, Most Outstanding Player, and Most Valuable Player. Brown showed the league why he should be considered one of the best young players in the game with a very bright future. Going into 2026 (S11), his contract year, Brown stated that he wanted to be with the Liberty long term, though with a big asking price. Brown would be given the opportunity to prove once more why he deserved to be paid, and with a young Template:Adriana Falconi coming in for her rookie season as quarterback for the Liberty, he wanted to be able to show the front office and the rest of the league what he could do with a better quarterback. Shortly after 2026 (S11) started, Brown signed a 3 year, 14 million dollar contract extension with Philadelphia. He stated in a Players Tribune article that he was proud to play in Liberty colors and wanted to stay with the team for the rest of his career.
With a new contract, new quarterback, and almost a new team, Brown was motivated to perform and finally get to the playoffs. The Liberty were one of the biggest surprises of 2026 (S11), shocking the league by defeating the undefeated Baltimore Hawks at home on week 6 with a final score of 30 - 14. In an interview after the game with Stephen B. Smifter, Brown stated that the win "put the league on notice". The Liberty ended the year with a 7-7 record, a big improvement over the 0-14 record from the previous season. They finished third in the NSFC, ineligible for the playoffs after a heartbreaking loss against the 1-13 San Jose Sabercats. Brown finished off the season leading the league in rushing yards for the second time in a row with 1571. He finished third in rushing touchdowns with 15, and led the league in attempts with 365. The team was also able to utilize Brown's receiving ability with a rookie QB. He had career highs in both the NSFL and DSFL with receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns with 52, 290, and 2 respectively. Brown was nominated for RBotY.
The following season, Philadelphia lost a couple of key players. CB Achilles Hondo left the team in free agency to go play in Baltimore. CB Andre Bly Jr. also left the team to go play with the Orange County Otters, marking the end of the short-lived "No Fly Zone" in Philadelphia. However, this didn't effect the team much at all, as they go 7-7 and make the playoffs for the first time since 2022 (S7). They'd go up against the 8-6 Hawks in a big rivalry game. The Hawks got off to an early lead in the first half with a 17-7 score on the board, however, the Liberty came storming back in the third, tying the game 17-17. Early in the fourth, RB Owen Taylor scored his second touchdown of the game off a pass 6 yard from Gambino, making the score 24-17, but on the next drive, Bush an 8 yard pass from Falconi to tie the game at 24-24. From then on, both defenses had a slug-fest with both offenses unable to move the ball. The game went into overtime tied 24-24. Liberty got the ball first and proceeded to go 3 and out, giving the Hawks the ball. The Hawks proceeded to run the game out with their lethal duo of Taylor and Antonio Summer, as the Hawks win the game on a walk-off touchdown catch to Taylor. Brown was devastated after the game, having gotten so close to beating their divisional rival. Brown was happy with how he did in the regular season though, rushing for a league high 1555 yards and 15 touchdowns. Brown was voted as the RBotY.
After the season, Brown had expressed his frustration with the team in hopes that they'd make free agent acquisitions to push the team over the hump and get them into the Ultimus. This fired Brown up going into the season, as he was motivated to start winning in the playoffs. In the first game of the 2028 (S13) season, the Liberty faced the Hawks at Baltimore. This was a big game for both Brown and the team to get revenge on the same team that knocked them out of the playoffs a year before, and for them to hit the ground running in the new season. After a field goal in the third quarter by Alex Frost pushed the Hawks to a 23-13 lead over Philly, the Liberty would storm back into the game with a touchdown from Marquise Brown early into the fourth, making the score 23-20 Hawks. When Baltimore got the ball back however, their objective was clearly to run the clock out. After a 5 minute possession and another field goal from Alex Frost, the score became 26-20 Hawks with about 3 minutes left in the game. With a heroic drive from Falconi and the rest of the offense, the Liberty were just about in field goal range with 30 seconds left in the game. With a long wheel route by Brown getting him open for the ball, Falconi lobs it, Brown catches it, and scores the game-winning touchdown with 13 seconds left. After the game, Brown called it the "best game of his career". Brown still stands by that today, racking up 112 rushing yards and 1 rushing touchdown on 19 carries along with 90 receiving yards, 6 catches, and a touchdown catch. The game started off Brown's season with a bang, and the momentum clearly followed him with the rest of the season. He ended off the 2028 (S13) season with 1510 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns, and 318 carries. Brown also had a stellar year in the air as well, racking up 366 receiving yards, 39 catches, and 4 touchdown catches. His performance would award him with a RBotY award, an OPoY award, and the MVP award (shared among New Orleans LB Julian O'Sullivan and San Jose QB Joliet Christ)
Baltimore Hawks rivalry
Throughout his NSFL career, Brown and the Baltimore Hawks have had an animosity towards each other. The earliest hint of this rivalry is in a Player's Tribune article that Brown posted going into the 2024 (S9) draft which ranked Baltimore as his least favorite possible draft destination to go to.
The rivalry ramped up in his first game against the Hawks, getting into a brawl with former Hawks defensive end Arbin Asipi Jr.. They traded insults in interviews after the game.
When Ryan Applehort signed a contract to come to Baltimore in 2026 (S11), Brown said that the move was "weak" and called Applehort a "cupcake". He also said that the Hawks' front office was "stupid for paying that mediocre QB".
In week 6 of 2026 (S11) after a win over the Hawks, Brown was reportedly taunting the Hawks' sideline, yelling out insults and dancing. Brown was ultimately fined for the measure. When asked about the fine in a press conference, Brown said that it was "worth it".
Controversy
During 2026 (S11), Brown was accused of taking performance enhancing substances for training, specifically illegal amounts of avocado. Brown denied these claims, saying that the amount of avocado he was taking was under the limit of fair use that the league put in place. The league gave Brown a 6 million dollar fine and was banned from practice for two weeks. Brown ended up appealing the punishment, but the appeal was denied.
During 2029 (S14), Brown put up an offensive tweet on April Fool's Day saying that he was going to retire. He also filled out paperwork and submitted it to the league with the intention of retiring. The league had already processed this retirement however, which Brown didn't mean to submit. Brown was fined and suspended from practice for a month as a result of the tweet.
Professional career statistics
| Rushing | Receiving | Kick Returns | Punt Returns | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GP | Att | Yds | Avg | Yds/G | Long | TD | Rec | Yds | Long | TD | Yds | Avg | KR TD | Yds | Avg | PR TD |
| 2023 (S8) | SAM | 14 | 264 | 1222 | 4.6 | 87.3 | 29 | 15 | 15 | 81 | 17 | 0 | 428 | 15.3 | 0 | 389 | 8.1 | 1 |
| 2024 (S9) | SAM | 14 | 331 | 1665 | 5 | 118.9 | 90 | 13 | 13 | 92 | 12 | 0 | 755 | 23.6 | 2 | 167 | 6.7 | 0 |
| 2025 (S10) | PHI | 14 | 451 | 1902 | 4.2 | 135.8 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 33 | 8 | 0 | ||||||
| 2026 (S11) | PHI | 14 | 365 | 1571 | 4.3 | 112.2 | 20 | 15 | 52 | 290 | 35 | 2 | 826 | 23.6 | 0 | |||
| 2027 (S12) | PHI | 14 | 374 | 1555 | 4.2 | 111.1 | 34 | 15 | 30 | 237 | 36 | 4 | 884 | 23.9 | 1 | |||
| 2028 (S13) | PHI | 14 | 318 | 1571 | 4.7 | 112.2 | 23 | 14 | 39 | 366 | 59 | 4 | ||||||
| 2029 (S14) | BAL | 14 | 368 | 1578 | 4.3 | 112.7 | 22 | 16 | 62 | 479 | 45 | 2 | 94 | 23.5 | 0 | |||
| 2030 (S15) | BAL | 14 | 350 | 1577 | 4.5 | 112.6 | 15 | 14 | 59 | 450 | 36 | 4 | ||||||
| 2031 (S16) | BAL | 14 | 260 | 1172 | 4.5 | 83.7 | 18 | 13 | 31 | 237 | 31 | 2 | ||||||
| 2032 (S17) | PHI | 14 | 215 | 897 | 4.2 | 64 | 17 | 5 | 35 | 212 | 18 | 2 | ||||||
| 2033 (S18) | CHI | 14 | 196 | 825 | 4.2 | 58.9 | 17 | 4 | 61 | 752 | 37 | 1 | 715 | 22.3 | 1 | |||
Achievements and Records
Awards
- DSFL Offensive Player Of The Year: 2023 (S8)
- DSFL Offensive Player Of The Year: 2024 (S9)
- NSFL Offensive Rookie Of The Year: 2025 (S10)
- NSFL Runningback Of The Year: 2027 (S12)
- NSFL Most Valuable Player: 2028 (S13)
- NSFL Offensive Player Of The Year: 2028 (S13)
- NSFL Runningback Of The Year: 2027 (S12), 2028 (S13), 2029 (S14), 2030 (S15)
NSFL records
- 2025 Most rushing attempts in a single season (452)
- Most yards from scrimmage of all time
Philadelphia Liberty franchise records
- 2025 Most rushing yards in a single season (1,901)
- 2025 Most rushing attempts in a single season (452)
- 2025 Most rushing yards in a single game (168)
- 2025 Most rushing attempts in a single game (41)
- 2026 Most rushing touchdowns in a single season (15)
