Brown Sees Huskers Through Historic Lens

Randy York's N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

If you were one of 430 Nebraska football fans who purchased tickets to last Saturday night’s Husker Huddle prior to NU’s nationally televised game at Fresno State, you were rewarded for your loyalty and entertained in a uniquely historical way.  The event’s featured speaker was none other than Bob (Boomer) Brown, a member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.  Talk about bringing history to a two-hour pregame huddle that includef a buffet and dueling piano performers.  A unanimous first-team 1963 All-American, Brown was a true trailblazer.  He not only played when the Huskers’ 335 consecutive home game sellout streak started in 1962, he helped lead Nebraska’s revival the day Bob Devaney arrived in Lincoln. 

Bob Brown is a member of the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

Brown: Nebraska Treated Others like Nebraskans

Brown values his memories of being a student-athlete at Nebraska in the early 1960s. “More than 50 years ago, we didn’t just turn out muscle heads. Nebraska turned out fine young men who challenged themselves intellectually as well as athletically,” Brown told me.  As the No. 2 overall pick in the first round of the 1964 NFL draft, Brown played 10 seasons and was named first-team All-NFL seven times.  A native of Cleveland, he’s equally proud of becoming the first African-American to earn All-America football honors as a Husker.  “We had great experiences at Nebraska,” said Brown, who graciously signed autographs for long lines of Big Red fans in Fresno.  “There weren’t many black guys going to Nebraska in those days, but all the people in Nebraska treated us like we were Nebraskans – the same way they treat all the other out-of-state players who decide to come to Lincoln.”  When Devaney left Wyoming for Nebraska, “he turned the whole program and the whole state around with a new way of thinking,” Brown told me. “Of course, I knew Coach (Tom) Osborne before he ever became a great coach.  He may have been the youngest coach on that staff, but he was the common thread that ran through it. Those coaches were open and nice and always left you with a warm feeling.”

After Growing Up on Big Ten Soil, He Chose NU

Brown has his own unique twist of playing in the Big Eight Conference, even though he was recruited from Ohio, home of some of the Big Ten’s most fertile recruiting soil.  Interestingly, Brown will never forget the second game he played under Devaney, a 25-13 win at Michigan, Devaney’s home state.  “We didn’t take a very big travel squad, and Michigan must have dressed 150 people that day,” Brown recalled.  “We were doing our jumping jacks when they came out of their tunnel in Ann Arbor, and the crowd roared. It sounded like thunder, but we were the ones who had the real Thunder that day,” Brown said, referring to Bill “Thunder” Thornton, Nebraska’s first modern-day black football captain.  The historic footnote is obvious.  “It’s a fact, and it’s still a belief that we all share – winning at Michigan on that late September Saturday in 1962 marked the start of Bob Devaney and the beginning of Nebraska football really taking off,” Brown said.  For me, that observation begs for another historic footnote.  Before 1962, Nebraska had experienced seven consecutive non-winning seasons, so Brown indeed was a catalyst for Nebraska’s renaissance.  Somehow, in my opinion, Husker fans should always remember what life was like before Bob Devaney arrived.

Shawn Eichorst: Brown Humble and Appreciative

Count Nebraska’s second-year director of athletics as among those who place Bob Brown in high regard.  “He’s humble and he appreciates seeing Nebraska fans as much as they appreciated seeing him and getting his autograph,” said Shawn Eichorst (above with Brown).  “I enjoyed meeting Bob in Fresno and spending time with him before and during game.  He’s quiet, but profound.  It’s rare to have someone who’s been inducted into both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. I think everyone who heard Bob speak and got the chance to meet him would enjoy seeing him again.”

Send a comment to ryork@huskers.com (Include city, state)

Follow Randy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RandyYorkNsider

Randy’s N-Sider Blog Archive

Randy’s N-Sider Column Archive

Voices from Husker Nation

Thanks for a great article on Bob Brown.  I was just 22 in 1962 and remember Bob Brown very much.  Seems like he was a 300-pounder.  I was always proud that he played at Nebraska and followed him in the pros.  Enjoy reading positive sports news. Gary Lukert, Seward, Nebraska

Loved your story about Bob Brown.  He has always been one of my football idols even though all I knew about him was as a legendary player for Nebraska and Philadelphia.  Seems like a quality man and looks young and healthy in the picture!  If you ever speak with Bob again, please tell him that a Nebraska football brother is a big fan of his.  Carl Johnson, Phoenix, Arizona

I really enjoyed reading the article about Bob Brown.  I graduated from Nebraska in 1965 and as a youngster, I went to many games with a knot hole ticket in hand.  The games got so boring, for excitement, we rolled down the hill at the south end of the stadium.  Those were the pre-Devaney days.  I believe that Devaney was the best coach in the college ranks because he took a bunch of guys who experienced nothing but losing and made them into winners.  Not many coaches, if any, have done that.  John E. Peterson, Jr.

I enjoyed the article on Bob Brown.  In 1963, I kept a scrapbook on Nebraska football and Mr. Brown was featured prominently.  In a hot game against Iowa State, there is a picture of Bob with the caption “heat melted 13 pounds”.  There is also a picture of him lathering up after Nebraska beat Missouri.  Apparently, the deal was he wasn’t going to shave unless the Huskers beat Mizzou.  Finally, after the Orange Bowl win over Auburn, there is an article that noted Mr. Brown became one of the highest paid rookies of all time when he signed a three-year pact with the Philadelphia Eagles in excess of $100,000.  Kim Keister, Lincoln, Nebraska