Brown is notorious for his stretch at as football coach at Auburn, where he went 3–22–4, including a record of 0–10 in his final season, when the Tigers were outscored 285–31. Brown's first season as the head coach at Auburn was also the first season Auburn and the Alabama met on the gridiron since 1907; Auburn lost, 55–0. The next season, though, he coached Auburn to one of the greatest upsets in its history, when the Tigers, who entered the game with a record of 1–4–3, stunned heavily favored Alabama, who entered the game with a 6–2–1 record, 14–13.