Fullback, Cleveland
Browns
Age: 29
9th
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. Following a
relatively down year in 1962, Brown broke his own single-season rushing record
with 1863 yards, had a career-high 2131 yards from scrimmage, and again
received MVP recognition. In 1964, he topped the league with 1446 rushing yards
and ran for another 114 yards in the NFL Championship game, won by the
Browns.
1965 Season Summary
Appeared in
all 14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 289
[1]
Most
attempts, game - 29 (for 168 yds.) vs. Pittsburgh 10/9
Yards – 1544 [1]
Most yards,
game – 177 yards (on 24 carries) at NY Giants 10/24
Average gain
– 5.3 [2]
TDs – 17 [1]
100-yard
rushing games – 8
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 34
Most
receptions, game – 5 (for 53 yds.) vs. Dallas 10/17, (for 60 yds.) vs.
Philadelphia 11/7
Yards – 328
Most yards, game
- 60 (on 5 catches) vs. Philadelphia 11/7
Average gain
– 9.6
TDs – 4
Passing
Attempts – 2
Completions –
1
Yards – 39
TDs – 1
INT – 0
All-purpose
yards – 1872 [2]
Scoring
TDs – 21 [2]
Points – 126 [2]
Postseason: 1 G (NFL Championship at Green Bay)
Rushing
attempts – 12
Rushing yards
– 50
Average gain
rushing – 4.2
Rushing TDs –
0
Pass
receptions – 3
Yards – 44
Average gain
– 14.7
TDs – 0
Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, UPI,
NEA, Sporting News
1st
team All-NFL: AP, NEA, UPI, NY Daily News
1st
team All-Eastern Conference: Sporting News
Pro Bowl
Browns went 11-3
to finish first in the NFL Eastern Conference while leading the league in
rushing yards (2331). Lost NFL Championship to Green Bay Packers (23-12).
Aftermath:
The 1965
season was Brown’s last as he announced his retirement the following summer.
Brown won eight NFL rushing titles in nine years and set numerous records as
well as a new standard for running backs to be measured against, retiring 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.
--
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).
