Duke LB Kelby Brown out for season with torn ACL, ending college career

Duke redshirt senior linebacker Kelby Brown tore his left ACL last week, requiring him to sit out the 2015 season and ending his college football career.

Duke redshirt senior linebacker Kelby Brown tore his left ACL last week, requiring him to sit out the 2015 season and ending his college football career.

This injury marks the second time in two years that Brown has suffered a torn left ACL. He did not play in 2014 after sustaining the injury during preseason.

“It's difficult to put into words the feeling of heartbreak I have for Kelby and his family,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said, according to a Duke release. “While we will certainly miss his athletic abilities and leadership as one of the best linebackers to play at Duke, what is most important above all else is Kelby's health.”

Brown also underwent surgery on his right knee in December 2010 and February 2012. He missed the entire 2012 season while recovering from the second surgery. 

Brown, who stands at 6'2", 225 pounds, began playing for Duke in 2010, and over three seasons he accumulated 242 tackles, including 23.5 tackles for loss, in 32 games. He had two interceptions, both in 2013, and forced three fumbles.

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In 2013, he recorded 114 tackles—third-highest in the ACC—and was named first-team all-conference. Duke won a school-record 10 games that season and finished first in the ACC Coastal Division.

During the 2015 season, Brown will continue to be involved with the football program as a student assistant, the school said. 

The Blue Devils went 9-4 in 2014, finishing second in the ACC Coastal Division and losing to Arizona State, 36-31, in the Sun Bowl.

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