Willie Brown obit

Willie Brown, Hall of Famer and Raiders legend, dies at 78

He was not on the list.


“Willie Brown will forever be cherished as a true Raider," the team's statement read. "He exemplified the Raider spirit, originally entering the AFL as an undrafted free agent out of Grambling State before joining the Silver and Black in 1967. He remained an integral part of the organization through six decades.

"His legendary performance on the field changed the way the cornerback position was played and his valued guidance as a coach, mentor and administrator permeated the organization and touched countless individuals both on and off the field. Willie’s loss will leave a tremendous void, but his leadership and presence will always be a major part of the fabric of the Raiders family.”

Ranked No. 50 on Sporting News' "100 Greatest Football Players," Brown will be best remembered on the field for his interception of the Vikings' Fran Tarkenton in Super Bowl 11 in 1977 that became an iconic moment in the game's history.

"My job was not catching passes," he would say at one point. "My job was to stop the receiver from catching it. If I could have played 15 or 20 years without an interception, that would have been fine. Anything beyond stopping a receiver, that’s gravy.”

This one was more than gravy.

Brown returned the interception 75 yards for a touchdown, helping Al Davis' Raiders to their first Super Bowl title, 32-14, at the Rose Bowl.

The then-Super Bowl record return was immortalized by NFL Films, which caught him running with the ball directly at one of its cameras. The return stood as the longest in Super Bowl history for almost three decades.

A native of Yazoo City, Mississippi, Brown played collegiately at Grambling State and was signed in 1963 by the AFL's Houston Oilers but cut during training camp.

He then signed with the Broncos and was a starter by the middle of a rookie season that began a 16-year professional career.

He played four seasons with Denver, earning All-AFL honors in 1964, before the Broncos traded him to the rival Raiders, for whom he played 12 more seasons, retiring after the 1978 season as a multiple Super Bowl winner.

He finished with 54 interceptions, 38 with the Raiders, and was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and five-time All-Pro selection.

Off the field, he will be remembered as a great ambassador for the Raiders organization, for whom he went on to coach.

Brown served as a defensive backfield coach for the Raiders from 1979 to 1988 and also was the head coach at Long Beach State in 1991, the last season before the university eliminated football.He most recently served in an administrative role with the Raiders.