Bob Brown (offensive lineman)

Infobox NFL player


Name=Bob Brown
DateOfBirth=birth date and age|1941|8|12
Birthplace= Cleveland, Ohio
Position=Offensive tackle
number=76
College=Nebraska
DraftedYear=1964
DraftedRound=1 / Pick 2
AFLDraftedYear=1964
AFLDraftedRound=1
AFLDraftedPick=1
Career Highlights=yes
Awards=
Honors=NFL 1960s All-Decade Team
Records=
Retired #s=
Stats=yes
CBS=536551
DatabaseFootball=BROWNBOB02
years=1964-1968
1969-1970
1971-1973
teams=Philadelphia Eagles
Los Angeles Rams
Oakland Raiders
ProBowls=1966, 1967, 1969, 1970
1971, 1972
CollegeHOF=60049
HOF=32
HOFYear=2004

Robert Stanford Brown (born December 8, 1941 in Cleveland, Ohio), known as Bob "The Boomer" Brown, was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League from 1964 through 1973.

In 2004, Brown was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

College career

At the University of Nebraska, Brown was an All-America selection at guard, and voted the lineman of the year by the 1963 Washington D.C. Touchdown Club.

Pro career

He joined the Philadelphia Eagles in the "City of Brotherly Love" in 1964. Brown, however, never demonstrated any "brotherly love" for opponents on a football field. He once described himself as being "about as subtle as a sixteen-pound sledgehammer." Defensive linemen, who almost always came away with their ribs aching from the punishment he delivered, agreed.

Not known as one who would use finesse too often in his blocking technique, Brown's philosophy was simple. "I beat on people from the opening kickoff. I want to see results in the fourth quarter," he explained. "I don't want them to have as much left. I want them to not be sure they want to keep coming. I try to take a toll on them."

An aggressive blocker, the 6-4, 280-pound Brown used his size and strength to neutralize hard-charging pass rushers. He exploded off the ball and into the oncoming defensive player. As one coach explained, "to do what Brown does requires great quickness, great strength, and great self-confidence. Few men have such a combination of assets. Bob Brown does."

Although a knee injury suffered in 1967 bothered him through much of the rest of his career, Brown continued to excel. He was named ALL-NFL 7 of his 10 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams and Oakland Raiders. Two of the three years he did not make the ALL-NFL team, he was named second-team ALL-NFL. Named the NFL/NFC offensive lineman of the year three times, Brown was also chosen to play in 6 Pro Bowls - three with the Eagles, two with the Rams, and one final time with the Raiders.

In 1969, after 5 consecutive all-league seasons with the Eagles, the behemoth lineman was traded to Los Angeles. That year the Rams offensive line set an NFL record for protecting the passer. "At his best, no one was better than big Bob Brown," then-Rams' coach George Allen remarked. Former teammate Ron Mix had equally high praise for Brown. "Everything about Brown is bigger than life-his size, his talent, his intelligence, his sensitivity," he once offered. "He's one of a kind."

Awards and Honors

In 1993, Brown was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Brown's number 64 was permanently retired by Nebraska in 2004, joining only Tom "Train Wreck" Novak to be given this honor.

External links

*"Pro Football Hall of Fame:" [http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=32 Member profile]