“Shine like the sun” can take on a different meaning for Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions … because his name comes from a sun interpretation.
The name is of Egyptian origin. The Lions WR revealed he got his name from Amun — best known in Egyptian mythology as the God of air, creation, and the sun. Or, in shorter terms, St. Brown’s first name means “Sun God.”
But the name was given to him by his father, former Mr. Olympia bodybuilder John Brown. The patriarch revealed in a 2017 interview with Sports Illustrated that he took a liking to black consciousness and Egyptian nomenclature — hence the meaning behind the unique names for Amon-Ra and his siblings Equanimeous and Osiris.
Amon-Ra St. Brown definitely did enough to shine on the football field before his NFL career began.
‘Sun God’ Became State’s Top WR Recruit
Among non-quarterbacks, St. Brown was the most talented prospect in the always deep prep football hotbed that is California.
St. Brown became the nation’s No. 2 overall prospect for the 2018 class and ranked below his former Mater Dei High teammate JT Daniels. He and Daniels were the Golden State’s lone five-star prospects by 247Sports and Rivals. St. Brown cemented his case as a blue-chip national recruit after a 20-touchdown campaign for the Monarchs.
Ultimately, he became a prized local pickup for USC and was part of a 2018 class that saw California’s top four prospects commit there, including Daniels.
For his Trojans career, St. Brown caught 178 passes for 2,270 yards and scored 16 touchdowns.
St. Brown Now With the Lions
Now, the Lions have begun to have the sun shining on them as a heavily hyped potential playoff contender.
And the “Sun God” is a big reason behind the hype machine in Motor City.
After a stellar rookie debut — 90 catches for 912 yards and five touchdowns — St. Brown upped his stats to 106 receptions, 1,161 yards, and six touchdowns, culminating in his first Pro Bowl season in just his second year in the NFL.
He has had a strong start to the 2024 NFL season. Through the first three games, St. Brown has accumulated 21 receptions for 207 yards and 1 touchdown, averaging about 9.9 yards per catch. He had a standout performance in Week 2, recording 119 yards on 11 catches against Tampa Bay. Additionally, in Week 3, he posted another solid game with 75 yards and a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals.
In a post-Calvin “Megatron” Johnson realm for the Lions, St. Brown could become the most popular and most dominating wideout in Detroit since the Hall of Famer.
His play, along with the coaching of Dan Campbell, the quarterbacking of Jared Goff, the edge rushing of Aidan Hutchinson, and a more rejuvenated roster, has led to every home game being sold out for the franchise.