RaiderBeat.com Staff Report
Legendary cornerback Willie Brown always was a man of few words and someone who let his play speak for him. On Wednesday, Brown exited the NFL with little fanfare and few words, telling a handful of TV reporters at the Raiders headquarters in Alameda, Calif., simply, “I’m retiring.”
Brown issued his surprising announcement without warning, as he drove away and with onlookers left to ponder what it all means.
In the scheme of the Raiders long-term plans, not much. Brown spent the past 15 years as an assistant defensive backs coach and the director of squad development. The Raiders won’t have much difficulty filling the void. However, it’s going to take some doing to find someone to match Brown’s on-field accomplishments.
From 1967-78, Brown almost perfected the art of bump-and-run coverage in the day when cornerbacks were allowed to be far more physical with receivers than they are these days. As a result, Brown had few passes thrown his way, and he left the game as one of the all-time greats.
For his deeds, Brown was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984. Overall, he spent 39 years with the Raiders as a player and a coach.
“Willie shall be remembered as one of the, if not the, greatest Raider players of all time,” Raiders chief executive Amy Trask told the Oakland Tribune. “We will honor Willie in the coming months.”
Brown, 69, entered the pros as an undrafted free agent out of Grambling State in 1963. He was traded from the Denver Broncos to the Raiders after his fourth season. For that, Raiders managing general partner Al Davis gets credit for one of the all-time heists in league history — the Raiders played in the American Football League at the time.
Brown is best remembered for picking off a Fran Tarkenton pass in Super Bowl XI and returning it 75 yards for a touchdown in the first of Oakland’s three Super Bowl victories, this one over the Minnesota Vikings in the 1976 season.
Former Raiders play-by-play announcer Bill King punctuated his call of Brown’s interception return by saying, “Old Man Willie.”
Tags: Al Davis, Amy Trask, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Raiders, retiring, Super Bowl, Willie Brown
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MayB Terry Mcdaniel should look into takein his spot… whatever happien to him anyway or even Eric Allen!!!
the randy hanson era has begun
eric allen bashes the raider organization,he’s out.
randy hanson is a good coach on the field.believe it or not.
Thank You Willie for your years of service! Hopefully the new era of Raiders will return the organization back to the way you guys built it! #24 RAIDER 4 LIFE!!!!
TOUCH DOWN……………………………. RAIDERS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank You Willie for all the Memories !!
Great Career WILLIE!!!!!
Enjoy your retirement Willie. You earned it.
I’ve never heard Eric allen back the Raiders on ESPN. Actually, Allen, Gruden and Herm Edwards are the only cats on that network who stick up for them for the most part. Bring in Hern Edwards as head coach. He has Bay Area ties too. Bring in him or Mooch. Bring them both in!
What the hell has Herm Edwards done? I am seriously sitting here trying to figure out how a Raiders fan is KC is saying to bring in Herm. Your in the heart of Squaw country you should know first hand he brings absolutely nothing to the team table. I mean the guy gave away jared allen for god’s sake! I live in KS and I can tell you guys straight up we do not want Herm Edwards anywhere around this team.
We need to keep Cable and get a stud OC, shore up both lines, get someone better then Morrison, make the Polish pop gun the starting QB and see where we are next year.
Oh and it pry wouldn’t hurt to move Seymour inside one spot and have Shaunessy on the outside.
God bless Willie Brown!!!! a true Raider, enjoy life Willie!
One of the great ones.
Hey Willie, take Russell out to pasture with you please.
Did Herm Edwards not take the Chiefs to the playoffs? He also took the Jets to the playoffs 3 out of his 5 years with them? That to me does not equate bringing NOTHING to the table kcraider. I don’t see Tom Cable, Norv Turner, Art Shell, or Lane Kiffin doing much motivation when it comes to players or leading them to the playoffs. Herm coaches players, there is nothing more to it. I am not saying to bring him in to call plays, I am saying bring him in to coach the team. He is intelligent and would understand how to work with Al. And you are wrong, he did not trade away Jared Allen. I am pretty sure that was Carl Peterson’s decision..
” YOU PLAY, TO WIN THE GAME !” I will take that during the press conferences. I like Herm.
Just another Raider great to leave the organization, can’t believe he didn’t leave years back. Boy, how embarrasing it must be when you don’t even want to tell people what team you just retired from. As I write this the NFL channel are putting us down, joking about how horrible we are, calling a high school team named the raiders SO much better than we are. Seems like everything I watch (sports related), puts the Raiders down. This will not stop until we get better and we won’t get better until we get players that want to win more than they want to spend/count their money!
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