Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

Nebraska mourns passing of Husker legend, Hall of Famer Bob Brown

Andrew Olson

By Andrew Olson

Published:

The Nebraska football family is mourning the passing of a Husker legend. Bob Brown passed away Friday at the age of 81.

Brown was a 3-year letterwinner, playing offensive line for the Huskers from 1961-to-1963. He was a unanimous All-American in 1963 and went on to be selected No. 2 overall in the 1964 NFL Draft. Brown was the African-American All-American in the history of Nebraska football and was Bob Devaney’s first All-American as Husker coach.

Brown played 10 seasons in the NFL as an offensive tackle with the Philadelphia Eagles (5 seasons), the Los Angeles Rams (2 seasons) and the Oakland Raiders (3 seasons). A 6-time Pro Bowl selection and 7-time first-team All-NFL selection, Brown is 1 of only 3 Huskers enshrined in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

“Bob Brown demonstrated different personalities on and off the field,” Pro Football Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said in a released statement. “On the field, he was as fierce an opponent as any defensive linemen or linebacker ever faced. He used every tactic and technique — and sometimes brute force — to crush the will of the person across the line from him. And took great pride in doing so.

“Yet off the field, he demonstrated a quiet, soft-spoken and caring nature that his son, Robert Jr., captured eloquently when he presented his dad for enshrinement in 2004. The Hall extends its thoughts and prayers to CeeCee and Robert Jr. for their loss.”

Brown’s No. 64 jersey was retired by the Huskers in 2004.

Andrew Olson

A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.