[1][2] Brown was born in Port Fairy, in Victoria's south west, to mother Mary[3] and father Brian (a former Fitzroy and Essendon player).

[6] Brown drew the attention of AFL recruiters while playing under-18 representative football for the Geelong Falcons in 1999 at the national carnival in Brisbane when he was named as an All-Australian.

His father considered Brisbane a good option when Leigh Matthews became the senior coach, despite Hawthorn showing interest in recruiting him.

Touted as the next Wayne Carey early in his career, Brown was an unspectacular but consistent contributor during his first few seasons and, at 195 cm and 105 kg, was an imposing target across half-forward.

The season, however, ended on a sour note for Brown, as he was reported for striking Port Adelaide's Josh Carr during the Lions 40-point Grand Final loss.

He made his return from suspension in Round 6 of 2005 against Essendon and immediately had a significant impact, taking 14 marks and kicking eight goals on then-Essendon defender and future Sydney Swans premiership player Ted Richards, in what was arguably the best game of his career to that point.

In May 2005, Brown was targeted by Collingwood in a deal reportedly worth $6 million over the next four seasons, but he was quick to announce that he had no plans to leave Brisbane.

Two months later he officially signed a contract committing himself to the Brisbane Lions until the end of the 2008 season in a deal reportedly worth $2 million over three years.

Midway through the season, Brown seemed certain to claim almost every individual award on offer at the end of the year, as he dominated in the air and in front of goals on a weekly basis.

Nevertheless, when the captaincy was announced on 20 March 2007, Brown was named as co-captain alongside Simon Black, Chris Johnson, Nigel Lappin, and Luke Power.

[10] Brown had previously acted as co-captain for the Lions in the 2007 NAB Cup Grand Final, alongside Black, Johnson, and Power, with Lappin out injured.

[11] Brown started the 2008 season slowly compared to his 2007 form, and was rested for one game in round seven due to minor injury concerns.

He then returned to his best with three consecutive six-goal performances and combined with Daniel Bradshaw to be one of the most formidable forward duos in the league in the second half of the season.

[12] He was named the AFLPA Most courageous player at the end of the 2008 season by his peers for the second consecutive year in a row, but missed out on a second All-Australian selection.

Despite missing six games and the controversial introduction of Coleman Medallist Brendan Fevola to the team, Brown was again the Lions leading goalkicker, with 53 for the season, and he came third in Brisbane's best and fairest, behind Michael Rischitelli and Simon Black.

[15] Brown suffered a horrific facial injury in the first game of the 2011 season against Fremantle after he was kneed in the head by opposition defender Luke McPharlin in a marking attempt.

Brown suffered a third facial injury in less than three years in a 2012 intraclub match when teammate Matt Maguire kneed him in the head in a marking contest.

In 2009, Brown featured in an official advertisement for the AFL, playing Australian rules with opponent Chad Cornes in a boxing ring and breaking the tackles of American football players.