Bob Brown Dies at 81; Pro Football Hall of Famer Played for Raiders, Eagles, Rams

Pro Football Hall of Famer and legendary offensive tackle Bob Brown passed away Friday at the age of 81, according to a statement released by the Hall of Fame.

A Cleveland native, Brown committed to the University of Nebraska following a standout career at East Tech High School. He went on to have an All-American career at guard and was voted the best lineman of the year in 1963.

Brown was then taken No. 2 overall in the 1964 draft and somehow managed to exceed the hype, making nine All-Pro teams, six Pro Bowls and was a member of the NFL's 1960s all-decade team after a ten-year career with the Eagles, Rams and Raiders. He got enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2004.

He became known as one of the most aggressive, strongest tackles of all-time but was beloved for the person he was off the gridiron.

"Bob Brown demonstrated different personalities on and off the field," Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in the 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 CeCe and Robert Jr. for their loss."

Playing the first five seasons of his career in Philadelphia in which he won Rookie of the Year, Brown is also a member of the Eagles' Hall of Fame. He ended his career on the West Coast, where he'd finish strong, after asking for a trade from Philadelphia in 1969.

Although he never won a Super Bowl title, no one could take away Brown's competitive fire and love for the game over the years as he played every snap like it was his last.

"Every week to me was a Super Bowl," he once said. "I had to play my own personal Super Bowls. I was not going to take a whipping; I just wasn't."

Brown is survived by his wife CeCe and son Robert Jr.