Age: 25
4th
season in pro football, 3rd active with Eagles
College: Ball
State
Height: 5’10” Weight: 190
Prelude:
Brown went to
college on a basketball scholarship but played football well enough to draw the
interest of the Green Bay Packers, who chose him in the 27th round
of the 1959 NFL draft. He was cut following the season’s first game and was
signed to Philadelphia’s taxi squad. Brown was a backup halfback and kick
returner for the ’60 squad that won the NFL title and saw more action in 1961,
when he took the opening kickoff of the season 105 yards for a touchdown. In
limited play on offense, he rushed for 338 yards and averaged 18.9 yards on his
14 catches. Returning kickoffs, Brown had a 28.0 average on 28 returns with a
TD, and one of his eight punt returns was for a touchdown as well. While there
were doubts as to whether he could be an every-down back, he got his chance to
start during the ’62 season when HB Ted Dean suffered a broken leg.
1962 Season Summary
Appeared in all
14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 137
[12, tied with Clarence Peaks]
Most
attempts, game – 17 (for 107 yds.) vs. Dallas 11/25
Yards – 545 [11]
Most yards,
game – 107 yards (on 17 carries) vs. Dallas 11/25
Average gain
– 4.0 [15]
TDs – 5 [11,
tied with six others]
100-yard
rushing games – 1
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 52
[12]
Most
receptions, game – 9 (for 160 yds.) vs. NY Giants 9/23
Yards – 849 [13]
Most yards,
game – 199 (on 5 catches) at St. Louis 12/16
Average gain
– 16.3 [17]
TDs – 6 [11,
tied with six others]
100-yard
receiving games – 3
Kickoff
Returns
Returns – 30
[3]
Yards – 831 [3]
Most yards,
game – 117 (on 4 ret.) at NY Giants 11/18
Average per
return – 27.7 [5]
TDs – 1 [1,
tied with four others]
Longest
return – 99 yards
Punt Returns
Returns – 6
Yards – 81 [11,
tied with Dick Bass]
Average per
return – 13.5
TDs – 0
Longest
return – 38 yards
All-Purpose
yards – 2306 [1]
Scoring
TDs – 13 [5]
Points – 78
[8]
Awards &
Honors:
Pro Bowl
Eagles went 3-10-1
to finish seventh in the NFL Eastern Conference while leading the league in
passing yards (3385).
Aftermath:
Having set a
NFL record for all-purpose yards in 1962, Brown exceeded it in ’63 by gaining
2428 yards (841 rushing, 487 pass receiving, 945 returning kickoffs, 152 on
punt returns). Fast with surprising power and an excellent receiver out of the
backfield, he scored 11 touchdowns and received consensus second-team All-NFL
honors as well as another selection to the Pro Bowl. Brown suffered a thigh
injury that cost him four games during the 1964 season but returned to rush for
a career-high 861 yards in ’65 while averaging a league-leading 5.4
yards-per-carry. He also caught 50 passes for 682 yards and was again chosen to
the Pro Bowl as well as receiving second-team All-NFL recognition. The
offensive numbers dropped in 1966 but he returned two kickoffs for touchdowns
in a game against the Cowboys, becoming the first player in league history to
do so. A hamstring injury cost him the early part of the ’67 season and further
reduced his effectiveness, and he was traded to the Baltimore Colts for 1968,
where he played one final season as a backup halfback and kick returner. Overall,
Brown rushed for 3862 yards on 889 carries (4.3 avg.) and 31 TDs (850 attempts
for 3703 yards and 29 TDs coming with the Eagles), caught 235 passes for 3399
yards (14.5 avg.) and 26 TDs, (231 for 3346 yards and all of the TDs with
Philadelphia), returned 71 punts for a 9.0 average and one TD, and 184 kickoffs
for a 26.0 average and five TDs (55 punt returns for 9.3 yards and 169 kickoff
returns for 26.5 yards and all of the return TDs with the Eagles). He gained a
total of 12,684 all-purpose yards, scored 64 touchdowns (12,049 yards and 62 TDs
with the Eagles), and was chosen to three Pro Bowls.
--
Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the
following statistical categories:
Rushing:
Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing:
Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving:
Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs,
Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose:
Total Yards
Defense:
Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff
Returns: Average
Punt Returns:
Average
Punting:
Average
*Leagues
include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL
(1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)
**NFC/AFC
since 1970
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