2000 Brown Bears football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 2000
| team = Brown Bears
| sport = football
| image = Brown Bears wordmark.png
| image_size = 100
| conference = Ivy League
| short_conf = Ivy
| record = 7–3
| conf_record = 4–3
| head_coach = Phil Estes
| hc_year = 3rd
| off_coach =
| oc_year =
| off_scheme = Pro-style
| def_coach = David Duggan
| dc_year = 3rd
| def_scheme = 4–3
| captain = Gordon Chen
| captain2 = N. Finneran
| captain3 = Drew Inzer
| stadium = Brown Stadium
}}
{{2000 Ivy League football standings}}
The 2000 Brown Bears football team was an American football team that represented Brown University during the 2000 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Brown was declared ineligible for the Ivy League championship, though its league record would have placed it in a tie for third.
In their third season under head coach Phil Estes, the Bears compiled a 7–3 record and outscored opponents 375 to 301. Gordon Chen, N. Finneran and Drew Inzer were the team captains.{{cite web |title=Game-by-Game Results (1878-2019) (Football) |publisher=Brown University |location=Providence, R.I. |access-date=July 3, 2020 |url=https://brownbears.com/sports/2018/5/8/game-by-game-results-1878-2015-football.aspx?id=2646}}
Before the season began, the Council of Ivy Group Presidents voted to exclude Brown from the football championship for one year in response to a report that Brown basketball, football, soccer and volleyball coaches had connected prospective student-athletes with offers of private financial assistance. The NCAA ruled that the students implicated in the report were not at fault and would retain their eligibility, but the Ivy League, with its stricter rules about financial aid, chose a harsher penalty to send a message to Brown and other member schools that recruiting violations would not be tolerated. Football and the other three Brown teams were also hit with tighter restrictions on recruiting activities for 2001 and 2002.{{cite news |title=Brown Barred from Winning League Title |first=David |last=Abel |date=August 2, 2000 |page=B2 |newspaper=The Boston Globe |location=Boston, Mass.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60339755/2000-brown-ineligible/ }}
The Bears' 4–3 conference record in 2000 would have tied for third in the Ivy League standings, but because the team was declared ineligible, the league's record book lists it as the last-place team. Brown outscored Ivy opponents 266 to 245.{{cite book|url=https://ivyleague.com/documents/2017/8/23/3_Year_By_Year_History_2017.pdf?id=2998|title=Ivy League Football Media Guide|chapter=Year-by-Year History|publisher=Ivy League|location=Princeton, N.J.|date=2017|access-date=July 10, 2020|pages=38–39}}
Brown played its home games at Brown Stadium in Providence, Rhode Island.
Schedule
{{CFB schedule
| attend = y
| source = y
| rankyear = 2000
| rankdivision = NCAA Division I-AA
| poll = The Sports Network
| September 16 | | {{cfb link|year=2000|team=San Diego Toreros|title=San Diego}}
| Brown Stadium | Providence, RI | W 36-20
| 3,639 | {{cite news |title=Brown 36, San Diego 20 |agency=Associated Press |date=September 17, 2000 |page=E19 |newspaper=Boston Sunday Globe |location=Boston, Mass.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60365685/2000-brown-sd/ }}
| September 23 | | Harvard
| Brown Stadium | Providence, RI | L 37-42
| 9,052 | {{cite news |title=Close Call Goes Crimson's Way |first=Marvin |last=Pave |date=September 24, 2000 |page=D19 |newspaper=Boston Sunday Globe |location=Boston, Mass.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60366683/2000-brown-harvard/ }}
| September 30 | | Rhode Island
| Brown Stadium | Providence, RI (rivalry) | W 29-19
| 4,173 | {{cite news |title=Brown 29, Rhode Island 19 |date=October 1, 2000 |page=4D |newspaper=Sun-Sentinel |location=Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60369427/2000-brown-uri/}}
| October 7 | @ | Fordham
| Coffey Field | Bronx, NY | W 44-17
| 4,769 | {{cite news |title=Brown 44, Fordham 17 |agency=Associated Press |date=October 8, 2000 |page=C19 |newspaper=Boston Sunday Globe |location=Boston, Mass.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60371542/2000-brown-fordham/ }}
| October 14 | @ | Princeton
| Princeton Stadium | Princeton, NJ | L 28-55
| 18,113 | {{cite news |title=Princeton Freshman Passes Test |agency=Associated Press |date=October 15, 2000 |page=C4 |newspaper=Home News Tribune |location=New Brunswick, N.J.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60372470/2000-brown-princeton/ }} Attendance figure in {{cite news |title=Ivy League Summaries |date=October 15, 2000 |page=D16 |newspaper=Boston Sunday Globe |location=Boston, Mass.}}
| October 21 | | Cornell
| Brown Stadium | Providence, RI | W 56-40
| 15,126 | {{cite news |title=Brown Lights It Up, Thumps Red |date=October 23, 2000 |page=3B |newspaper=The Ithaca Journal |location=Ithaca, N.Y.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60383276/2000-brown-cornell/ }}
| October 28 | @ | Penn
| Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | L 38-41
| 13,208 | {{cite news |title=Penn's Late Comeback Slays Brown, 41-38 |first=Bob |last=Ford |date=October 29, 2000 |page=C6 |newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer |location=Philadelphia, Pa.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60383931/2000-brown-penn/ }}
| November 4 | | Yale
| Brown Stadium | Providence, RI | W 28-14
| 7,873 | {{cite news |title=Brown Defense Surprises Yale |first=Tommy |last=Hine |date=November 5, 2000 |pages=E10, E11 |newspaper=Hartford Courant |location=Hartford, Conn.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60393845/2000-brown-yale/ }}
| November 11 | @ | Dartmouth
| Memorial Field | Hanover, NH | W 34-26
| November 18 | | Columbia
| Brown Stadium | Providence, RI | W 45-27
| 3,194 | {{cite news |title=Brown 45, Columbia 27 |agency=Associated Press |date=November 19, 2000 |page=D17 |newspaper=Boston Sunday Globe |location=Boston, Mass.|via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60398138/2000-brown-columbia/ }}
}}