Larry Brown for HofF

[RobJanis]

Betts, Portis, Steven Davis, John Riggins, the list of successful Redskins running backs goes on and on. But the first to set the trend, the root of the tree so to speak was Larry Brown.

Brown played only eight years for the Skins in an era when there were 14 games in a season, not 16. That's two more games a year to pad one's stats. No padding for Brown.

But his numbers for the time were good. Very good. And because of him the Redskins finally began to win again. The fact that he was on the team when success came is not an accident. We won because Larry Brown was there. His play on the field and his leadership in the locker room were a major influence to our success. He wasn't afraid to hurdle his body to gain a few extra yards for the team. He wasn't afraid to play hurt because he knew that the team needed him.

So why am I saying all this? I believe that Larry Brown should be considered for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It is not just stats that should mark a player as a member of the Hall. His character, his leadership, his effort on the field should all be considered. Brown was top notch in all these categories.

So let's have a campaign to put Brown in the Hall. What follows is an article I wrote about Larry Brown. It outlines his career and how he influenced the team. Read it! Then respond.

After the story I list the members of the Senior Committee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Senior Committee is responsible for nominating and selecting players who retired before 1981 for enshrinement in the Hall. The list includes each member's e-mail address. Let them know how you feel.

Robert Janis

Whatever Happened To.... Larry Brown

by

Robert Janis

The Washington Redskins have built a legacy of good running backs. That

legacy begins with Larry Brown. Brown was the first Redskins running back to gain more than 1,000 yards in a single season. He achieved that feat twice in a career that ran from 1969 to 1976.

Born in Clairton, Pennsylvania on September 19, 1947, Brown and his family moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was only two years old. He started playing football in his junior year at Schenley High School in Pittsburgh. He chose football over baseball because he thought he had a better chance to gain a college scholarship in football. Prior to his junior year, Brown played baseball. He said that his father pushed him into playing baseball because it was a game one could play in an organized way at a very young age. His dad loved baseball and was an excellent player in his own right.

Brown played fullback in high school primarily because he had good blocking skills. “I wasn’t afraid to hit people,” he said. “In fact, I liked it and it was a good way for me to make a statement.” He received honorable mention on the All-City football team.

Brown received a scholarship offer to play football at Kent State University.

Instead, he followed a coach’s advice to attend Dodge City Junior College in

Dodge City, Kansas. A former Schenley High School football player had attended that school. He was named honorable mentioned All-American.

Brown was soon invited to try out for the varsity football team at Kansas

State University. Brown explained that if he made the team, he would be given a scholarship. “For some reason, I never doubted that I would make the team,” said Brown.

He continued to be a blocking back at Kansas State and blocked for Codrnelius Davis and Mack Herron.

Otto Graham selected Brown in the eighth round of the NFL draft in 1969.

After the draft, Vince Lombardi was hired to replace Graham. The initial

relationship between Brown and Lombardi was purely business. “My mission was to survive the competition among the running backs and his (Lombardi’s), I believe, was to select the best five or six players for the two positions that met his definition of an all purpose back,” said Brown. “What made the task much more difficult for me was my size and my inability to catch passes, at least during practices.” Brown admitted that his relationship with Lombardi during this time was “strained.” “My combatant behavior sometimes clashed with his disciplinary agenda. Once I overcame the hurdles, the relationship changed for the better and I became his personal development project,” explained Brown.

While reviewing practice and game films in slow motion, Lombardi noticed that Brown was seconds late getting off the snap count. He asked Brown about it. “I told him that I was having trouble recognizing the various defenses which I needed to know to fulfill my responsibilities on each play,” said Brown. Lombardi didn’t buy it. A couple days later Brown was sitting at his locker when two men in long white coats approached him. “I thought, what did I do to deserve this,” quipped Brown. “I thought I was heading for the insane asylum for sure.” In fact, the men in white coats were doctors who were asked by Lombardi to give Brown a hearing test. It was discovered that he was completely deaf in his right ear. Lombardi got permission from the League office to install a hearing aide in Brown’s helmet. “One day when I was in the locker room, Lombardi

brought me the helmet and he told me to put it on and go to the other side of the room. When I did, he said, ‘Larry, can you hear me?’ I said, ‘Coach, I

have never had a problem hearing you.’”

Unofficially, Brown earned the starting running back position in training

camp. However, in the opening day game, Brown found himself on the bench. Lombardi started two veteran backs, but shortly after he put in Brown and Charley Harraway. That first season Brown earned about $25,000. He said that the initial contract included little or no incentives.

Before the start of the ‘70 season Vince Lombardi died of cancer. His death

was a total shock to all the players. “We didn’t see it coming,” said Brown.

“It happened just when we were starting to see the fruits of our labors. I

certainly didn’t see it coming although I did notice he was taking a lot of

antacids on a daily basis. I concluded later that Lombardi was very well aware of his condition and pretty much kept it to himself and his family.”

Bill Austin, an assistant coach under Lombardi, was named interim coach for the ‘70 season. Brown thought that Austin had great football credentials, but he was not Vince Lombardi. “Naturally, the team felt let down because Lombardi had laid the foundation for success and it was difficult to see it happen without him. We were still in a rebuilding mode and a lot of the work was left undone. We knew that the offense was in good shape personnel wise. But on defense there were plenty of holes to be filled. From a management point of view, Austin was the right person at the time because it was too close to training camp to conduct a thorough search for another head coach. We realized that this was the situation and we had to live with it.”

The season was a wash. The Redskins finished 6-8.

George Allen was hired head coach and general manager of the team before the start of the ‘71 season. “I was told many years later that Allen met with a former assistant coach of the Redskins to ‘pick his brain’ after he had accepted the job,” recalled Brown. “This assistant coach told him, ‘Whatever you do, leave the offense alone because they can put points on the scoreboard.’ And that’s essentially what he did. Most of his time was devoted to special teams and the defense and he actually convinced those guys that they could score more points than the offense. He created a ‘favorite child’ environment for the defense which irritated the offensive players a little bit and really stirred up our competitive juices.

“Overall the reception to Allen was decent,” continued Brown. “We knew

defensively we were having enormous problems preventing our opponents from scoring and based on his reputation he was the right person for the job. He was not the ‘In your face’ kind of person Lombardi was, but the end results were the same.”

The remedy was immediate and swift. The Redskins started the ‘71 season with five wins in a row. The team made the playoffs for the first time in 26 years with a record of 9-4-1.

In 1972 they were 11-3 and went all the way to Super Bowl VII against the

Miami Dolphins in the Los Angeles Coliseum. The ‘Skins lost that game 14-7.

“I believe we could have beaten anyone the week after we won the NFC

championship game,” said Brown. “Instead, we had to wait two weeks to face the Dolphins. I thought that was a disadvantage for any team participating in the Super Bowl for the first time. I remember the team went to California early and stayed in an area where Allen thought there would be the least amount of distractions. The rules we had to follow would be the same as if we were at home for the first week of the season. Upon our arrival, the rules changed and created a climate for the first and major distraction. This was the first indication that anxiety had struck a vital part of the organization early. Allen was a stickler for details to the point that I thought he was managing our idle time as well. I don’t remember whether Sonny (Jurgensen) was able to play or not, but I do know that there was something else going on between the two. If Sonny had started the game, it was obvious that the Dolphins couldn’t focus on stopping me. However, Billy (Kilmer) was a fierce competitor and played an important role in getting us to the biggest game of our lives. By game time I recall being mentally exhausted and not full of energy. I also remember not getting an

enormous amount of traction during the game because the grass came up very easily and everywhere I went there were Dolphins, which made for a very long day.”

Other than the Super Bowl and some playoff games, the one game that sticks in Brown’s memory was against the New York Giants in New York on October 29, 1972. “I ran for about 190 yards, my best game ever. Also, I remember punching one of their defensive linemen for his unnecessary activity after the whistle had been blown and tore a large piece of skin off the back of my hand. It wasn’t a good punch because I hit part of the guy’s helmet. The team physician treated this very bad injury and I didn’t miss a play.”

Brown was not afraid to play hurt. And he got hurt often because of his

running style. He literally threw caution to the wind when he ran the ball and would throw his body in order to gain that extra yard. “I was a fierce competitor, a perfectionist and had a history of playing with pain that goes back to high school,” he recalled. “The goal was always more important to me than the obstacles and distractions, including pain. I remember my first charley horse at Schenley High School. The pain was unbearable so before a game I rubbed the area with some red hot analgesic balm to take my mind off the pain and put it on the heat. The pain eventually disappeared and I didn’t miss a play. Lombardi also had a lot to do with me playing with pain and playing hard. He was very demanding and wanted more than a hundred percent effort and every ounce of energy from you on every play. If you gave him what he wanted I wouldn’t hear the ‘How bad you looked’ speech and that helped me develop consistency.”

In an eight year career Brown was MVP in 1972 and selected to play in the Pro Bowl in 1969, 1970, 1971, and 1972. His jersey number 43 has been

unofficially retired and he is one of the 70 Greatest Redskins of All Time. The most he earned as a professional football player was $125,000 a year which was part of a contract that included incentive clauses. Brown carried the ball 1,530 times in his career gaining 5,875 yards. His best seasons were in 1972 when he gained 1,216 yards and in 1970 when he gained 1,125 yards. He rushed for 100 yards or more 21 times and rushed for 100 yards or more in six games in 1970 and six games in 1972. He also scored four rushing touchdowns in one game against the Eagles on December 16,1973. It should be noted that the season consisted of 14 games during Brown’s career.

After he retired in 1976 he worked for E.F. Hutton as a personal financial

management advisor. He also worked for 12 years with Xerox and was responsible for business and community relations. He is currently vice president of the Michael companies, Inc., a commercial real estate firm based in Lanham, MD. He serves as a real estate agent and leases and sells commercial properties.

He and his wife Janet, a Washington native, live in Potomac, MD. He has two adult daughters -- Tonya, who lives in Atlanta, GA. with her husband Laurin and his youngest daughter lives in Washington, D.C.

“I believe that I was very fortunate to get the opportunity to play this

sport professionally and my contribution to the game was a way of confirming decisions made by others that I was the right person for the job,” concluded Brown. “I also hope that my involvement has had a positive impact on the lives of many youths in the area.”

Continue on if you want Larry Brown in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Here are the members of the Senior Committee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This committee is responsible for nominating and selecting players who retired before 1981. Each member's e-mail address is included. Let them know what you think.

Senior Committee

Dan Pierson -- Chicago Tribune sports@tribune.com

Rick Gosselin -- Dallas Morning Star rgosselin@dallasnews.com

Jerry Green -- Detroit News sports@detnews.com

John McClain -- Houston Chronicle

Edwin Pope -- Miami Herald sports@miamiherald.com

Jerry Magee -- San Diego Union Tribune sports@uniontribune.com

Ira Miller -- The Sports Xchange c/o hbalzer@sportsxchange.com

Dave Goldberg -- Associated Press info@ap.com

Len Shapiro -- Miami Herald sports@miamiherald.com

[Jethrodsp]

Career was shortened by injuries. My pops loves the guy for the way he ran.

I go on his opinion on this one and that means I agree with you.

[ldysknzfn1]

Great story!..Thanks for posting it. I loved Larry Brown! He was my fave Redskin player growing up. I remember that SB against the Dolphins..I was 8y/o then. I thought Larry Brown was the King of football back then. He was the only player I knew by name back then. I'll never forget that #43 in the backfield running in the muck and mud. What a player! I met Mr. Brown at an autograph signing 2 or so years ago at the local Super K-Mart. They had some type of promotion going on at the time and he was there signing Redskins gear. I got a hat and he signed it. I shook his hand and told him how much I admired his skills and that I grew up watching him play. He smiled and thanked me..and then gave me a hug! It was like meeting your fave movie star or something. My kids thought I was crazy...but I was like...Don't you 2 know who this is?..This is LB! An original Redskin(for me anyway!)..I was like a kid in a candy store. My prize possession...an autographed LB hat! He's a great guy. I agree w/you...He deserves HOF consideration. I'll email those guys and give them my thoughts.

Thanks for that post!:point2sky

[andyburd]

My favorite Skin growing up. I saw him play quite a bit as a kid. He was simply AWESOME! He was not that big , but had a giant heart. George Allen ran him into the ground. Would be a hall of famer if he played longer

[SonnyRules]

I remember those days:

1st Down..... Larry Brown runs right

2nd Down..... Larry Brown runs left

3rd Down..... Larry Brown up the middle

4th Down..... Punt

[ldysknzfn1]

I remember those days:

1st Down..... Larry Brown runs right

2nd Down..... Larry Brown runs left

3rd Down..... Larry Brown up the middle

4th Down..... Punt

So..no matter how much things change...they remain the same...just insert a different player's name in there:cool:

[bulldog]

the loss to the Dolphins in Super Bowl 7 cost both Chris Hanburger and Len Hauss a legitimate chance to be voted into the Hall. Hanburger had been a 9 time pro bowler and NFL Defensive Player of the Year. How many players with these credentials don't make it in? Hauss at center was a perennial pro bowler from 1966-72 and the Redskins best offensive lineman.

if the Redskins had won that game 14-7 both would be in regardless of what Peter King said about that not being the case.

it is ALWAYS the case that WINNING Super Bowl teams get players on the HOF ballot who then get elected.

The writers feel almost obligated to take a certain number of players from SB winners.

That's why a guy like Tom Mack that made 12 straight pro bowls for the Rams had to wait for a vote by the Veteran's Committee. The Rams were a very good team in the late 1960's and 1970's but never won the SB.

[str8jacket]

He is just the beginning of quite a few Redskins that sadly are not yet in the hall or even getting the consideration they deserve.

[andyburd]

the loss to the Dolphins in Super Bowl 7 cost both Chris Hanburger and Len Hauss a legitimate chance to be voted into the Hall. Hanburger had been a 9 time pro bowler and NFL Defensive Player of the Year. How many players with these credentials don't make it in? Hauss at center was a perennial pro bowler from 1966-72 and the Redskins best offensive lineman.

if the Redskins had won that game 14-7 both would be in regardless of what Peter King said about that not being the case.

it is ALWAYS the case that WINNING Super Bowl teams get players on the HOF ballot who then get elected.

The writers feel almost obligated to take a certain number of players from SB winners.

Monk won SBs and he is not in.

That's why a guy like Tom Mack that made 12 straight pro bowls for the Rams had to wait for a vote by the Veteran's Committee. The Rams were a very good team in the late 1960's and 1970's but never won the SB.

Monk won SBs and he is not in.

[LarryBrownsFan]

No argument here. You said it well. His HEART on the field was AMAZING!