Roosevelt Brown

Lore & Background

Brown appeared in 162 games for the Giants, missing only four games in a 13-year career. In his prime, between 1956 and 1963, he helped lead the Giants to six division championships and the 1956 NFL Championship Game. He was selected as a first-team All-Pro player eight consecutive years and was also selected to play in the Pro Bowl nine times. After retiring as a player, Brown remained with the Giants as an assistant coach and later as a scout. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975, was named to the National Football League 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1994 and was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019. He was also included on the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team and The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.

In Their Own Story

The wind howled off the Hudson River at Yankee Stadium, biting through the wool of his jersey. It was late December, 1965, and the turf was frozen hard beneath cleats that had seen better days. Roosevelt Brown adjusted his helmet, the blue shell gleaming under the floodlights despite the grime of the fourth quarter. The quarterback lined up, eyes scanning for a lane that didn't exist. Brown didn’t need to chase; he simply needed to be there. With a roar that drowned out the crowd’s chatter, he surged forward, shoulder pads colliding with bone and muscle. He felt the impact shudder through his frame, but he held ground, immovable as the stadium concrete itself. The pocket collapsed in seconds. There was no glory in the sack count books of that era, only the silent understanding between linemen who knew they had done their job.

Reader's Guide

Brown was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1932. He attended Jefferson High School, the African American high school in Charlottesville. He played trombone in the school's band, having been forbidden to play football after his older brother was injured playing the sport and died. The school's football coach, Robert W. Smith, ultimately persuaded the 180-pound Brown to play football, though he did so initially without his father's knowledge. After graduating from high school, Brown attended Morgan State College on a scholarship to play for the Morgan State Bears football team under head coach Edward P. Hurt. He was selected as an All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association player in both 1951 and 1952, and was a co-captain of the 1952 Morgan State team. In December 1952, he was selected by the Pittsburgh Courier as a first-team offensive tackle on its 1952 All-America team. In January 1953, the New York Giants selected Brown in the 27th round (321st overall pick) of the 1953 NFL draft. Brown signed a one-year contract for $3,500 on March 25, 1953. As a rookie, Brown appeared in all 12 games for a Giants team that compiled a 3–9 record during the 1953 season. He again started all 12 games for the 1954 and 1955 Giants teams. In 1956, the Giants compiled an 8–3–1 record and won the 1956 NFL Championship Game. Brown played a key role for the Giants' championship team, blocking for the team's backs Frank Gifford, Alex Webster, and Mel Triplett. At the end of the 1956 season, Brown was unanimously selected as a first-team All-NFL player and received the NFL's Lineman of the Year award. Brown remained a fixture in the Giants' offensive line through the 1965 season. He was known primarily as an offensive tackle but also played on the Giants' kickoff, kickoff return, punt, punt return, and field goal attempt platoons. He was also known on defense as the head 'traffic cop' on New York's last-ditch 'goal-line stand' platoon. In all, Brown appeared in 162 games for the Giants, missing only four games during his 13-year NFL career. Brown was selected as a first-team All-NFL player eight times and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl nine times: 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964, and 1965. While playing with the Giants, Brown and his wife Thelma were residents of Teaneck, New Jersey, where they were neighbors of New York Yankees catcher Elston Howard

Did You Know?

• Brown was selected by the Giants in the 27th round (321st overall pick) of the 1953 NFL draft and is considered 'one of the biggest steals in draft history.'
• As a rookie, Brown surprised the Giants by outrunning Arnie Weinmeister, New York's fleet defensive tackle, in windsprints.
• Brown wore 'fancy street clothing' and regularly sported a mustache, derby hat and umbrella as a rookie.
• Brown and Emlen Tunnell were the only African-American starters on the Giants in the mid-1950s and were roommates in New York.
• Brown's wife Thelma and he were neighbors of New York Yankees catcher Elston Howard in Teaneck, New Jersey.