NFL Hall of Famer Willie Brown Dead at 78: Reports

NFL Hall of Famer Willie Brown Dead at 78: Reports
Willie Brown attends the 2nd Annual NFL Honors at Mahalia Jackson Theater in New Orleans, Louisiana on Feb. 2, 2013. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Jack Phillips
10/22/2019
Updated:
10/22/2019

Former Raiders player Willie Brown, who was inducted into the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame, died at the age of 78, it was reported on Tuesday.

His cause of death was not disclosed.

Brown, a cornerback who played for 16 seasons for the Raiders and Denver Broncos, was among the very best defensive players of all time, earning nine Pro Bowl selections and five All-Pro selections, NFL.com noted. Brown also won two Super Bowls during the Raiders heyday in the early 1980s.

“Brown terrorized quarterbacks to the tune of 54 career interceptions. The mark currently sits in a tie for 21st all-time, with his 39 while playing for the franchise tied for tops in the team’s history next to Lester Hayes,” said NFL.com.

Hall of Fame President David Baker, in confirming his death, said it is mourning his passing.

“Willie Brown was the epitome of the Raiders’ motto of ‘commitment to excellence’ that was integral to the team’s sustained success. He embodied virtues like passion, integrity, perseverance and always led by example. His character, on and off the field, made all those around him better. His legacy will be preserved forever in Canton, Ohio to inspire generations of fans,” he said, according to USA Today.

Before playing professional football, Brown played for Grambling College.

“My job was not catching passes,” Brown was quoted as saying about his position. “My job was to stop the receiver from catching it. If I could have played 15 or 20 years without an interception, that would have been fine. Anything beyond stopping a receiver, that’s gravy.”

Jon Gruden, the Raiders coach, told the Mercury News that his death was “crushing.”

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr also wrote on Twitter: “Man… going to miss you Willie! I’ll never forget when you called my name on that stage to welcome me into the Raider family 4 life! Prayers to his family.”

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Peter Fonda
Peter Fonda in a 2009 photo. (Glenn Francis of www.PacificProDigital.com via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license)
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Beth Chapman
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Actress and animal rights activist Doris Day poses for photos after receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award she was presented with at the annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Jan. 28, 1989. (AP Photo)
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John Singleton
John Singleton attends the 90th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, Calif., on March 4, 2018. He died in late April after a stroke. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
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Luke Perry
Undated file photo of Luke Perry. (Newsmakers)
Undated file photo of Luke Perry. (Newsmakers)
Peter Tork
Peter Tork of the Monkees died at 77 in Feb. 2019. (Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)
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Albert Finney
British actor Albert Finney died in Feb. 2019 at the age of 82. (Lucy Nicholson/AFP/Getty Images)
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Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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