MVP Profile: Jim Brown, 1963

Fullback, Cleveland Browns

Age: 27

7^th season in pro football & with Browns

College: Syracuse

Height: 6’2”   Weight: 228

Prelude:

Following an outstanding career at Syracuse, in which he distinguished himself as an all-around athlete (lacrosse, basketball, track & field) as well as in football, Brown was chosen in the first round of the 1957 NFL draft by the Browns. With his blend of speed, power, and agility, he moved quickly into the starting lineup as a rookie, leading the league in rushing with 942 yards that included a single-game record at the time of 237 yards. He received MVP as well as Rookie of the Year honors, was a consensus first-team All-Pro and was selected to the Pro Bowl. In 1958, Brown set a new single-season rushing record with 1527 yards, again receiving MVP honors, and continued to lead the NFL in rushing in 1959, ’60, and ’61. He was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection as well as Pro Bowl selection following all of those seasons. In 1962 Brown dropped to 996 rushing yards and, while he again received Pro Bowl honors, received only second-team All-NFL recognition from UPI. In a down season for the Browns, he achieved career highs in pass receptions (47) and receiving yards (517).

1963 Season Summary

Appeared in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 291 [1]

Most attempts, game - 29 (for 179 yds.) at St. Louis 12/1

Yards – 1863 [1]

Most yards, game – 232 yards (on 20 carries) at Dallas 9/22

Average gain – 6.4 [1]

TDs – 12 [1]

200-yard rushing games – 2

100-yard rushing games – 9

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 24      

Most receptions, game – 4 (for 86 yds.) at NY Giants 10/13, (for 14 yds.) at Pittsburgh 11/10

Yards – 268

Most yards, game - 100 (on 3 catches) vs. Washington 9/15

Average gain – 11.2

TDs – 3

Passing

Attempts – 4

Completions – 0

Yards – 0

TDs – 0

INT – 0

All-purpose yards – 2131 [2]

Scoring

TDs – 15 [1]

Points – 90 [5]

Awards & Honors:

NFL MVP: UPI, NEA, Bert Bell Award

1^st team All-NFL: AP, NEA, UPI, NY Daily News

1^st team All-Eastern Conference: Sporting News

Pro Bowl

Browns went 10-4 to finish second in the Eastern Conference while leading the NFL in rushing (2639 yards).

Aftermath:

Having broken his own single-season rushing record in 1963, Brown was again the NFL’s leading rusher in 1964 and ’65, his last two seasons, giving him eight titles in nine years. Along the way he set numerous records as well as a new standard for running backs to be measured against. He retired as the all-time leader in rushing (12,312 yards) and touchdowns (126). Brown averaged 5.2 yards per carry and 104.3 yards per game over the course of his career. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in all nine seasons, was a first-team All-Pro eight times, and received MVP recognition on four occasions. Brown’s #32 was retired by the Browns and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1971.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).