Larry Brown Profile

Larry Brown is one of the greatest running backs to ever wear the burgundy and gold, and made a lasting impact on the Washington Redskins. From a humble start as the 191st pick in the 1969 draft, Brown became the first Washington RB to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and was a four-time Pro Bowler. His bruising, downhill running style led him to multiple accolades, including the 1972 NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year award. In this tribute, we remember his legendary career and unforgettable moments on the field.

Larry Brown Vitals

Position: Running Back
Born: September 19, 1947
Date-of-Birth: Clairton, Pennsylvania
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 195 lbs
College: Dodge City Community College, Kansas State
NFL Career: 8 seasons
Teams: Washington (102 games)

Career Highlights

Drafted 191st overall in the eighth round of the 1969 draft
First Washington RB to gain 1000 yards in a season (1970)
One Super Bowl appearance (VII)
Pro Bowl four STRAIGHT times (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972)
Three time First Team All-Pro selection (1970, 1971, 1972)
1972 NFL MVP
1972 NFL Offensive Player of the Year
1972 Bert Bell Award
1972 UPI NFC Player of the Year
8,360 total yards and 55 touchdowns
Named one of the 70 Greatest Redskins

You will find a wonderful Larry Brown biography here, so in place of a bio on the legends page, here are staff member Scott Peek’s recollections and memories of Mr. Brown.

My Fond Memories of Larry Brown

By Scott Peek

I had only been back in the United States a year when I first saw Larry Brown run. Growing up in Okinawa, Belgium and Australia, football was a game that was foreign to me, but I watched and I learned. It didn’t take long to fall for the Redskins hard, and the main reason was their fearless running back – Mr. Larry Brown.

Drafted out of Kansas State with the 191st pick in the draft, the 5’11” 195lb Brown didn’t seem like he fit the bill as the prototypical NFL running back. His career started slowly, but he was fortunate to be coached by the legendary Vince Lombardi who noticed that he was starting slightly behind the snap of the ball.

Testing showed he was hearing-impaired in one ear and was watching the lineman move rather than listening to the quarterback snap count. After getting his helmet fitted with an ear-piece, the responsiveness to the snap count was dramatically improved and he was hitting holes much quicker.

He finished his rookie year with a strong 888 yards rushing with a 4.4 yards per carry average.

Brown’s Hall of Fame Type Stats

From 1969 to 1976, Larry Brown laid it on the line every time he touched the ball for the burgundy and gold. In his 8 seasons as a Redskin, Larry gained a record 5,875 yards for a 3.8 average and 35 touchdowns. He made 4 pro bowls, was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year and NFL MVP in 1972. He rushed for 1,216 yards in 1972, despite sitting out the final 2 games of the season.

But all the stats meant nothing to me; I just loved to watch him run. He was a downhill churning runner that wouldn’t go out of bounds. He dished out as much punishment as he received, and believe me, he received a lot. His bruising style and the fact that he was THE feature back meant that his career was shortened due to the sheer amount of abuse his body took.

Heroic Effort From Larry Brown

There are too many memorable games to mention. But the final regular season game in 1973 at home against the Philadelphia Eagles stands out as maybe the greatest.

It was December 16 and it was snowing, so a mixture of snow and mud had covered the field at RFK Stadium. The stage was set for a legendary game, and Larry Brown came to play. He rushed for 150 yards, caught 3 passes for 105 yards and scored 4 touchdowns. But that tells just a bit of the story; he willed and bulled his way for every yard. He had already been through a grueling season and the constant pounding that comes with it, but at the snap of the ball he was off.

I remember his teammates helping him up after some tough hits or long runs, and him limping back to the huddle. This guy can’t have had anything left in the tank, but when his number was called again and again, he played like he was shot out of a cannon.

I had never seen, nor have I seen since, an individual performance of a running back like I did that cold December afternoon. The 38-20 win secured a place in the playoffs and was the 10th win that year.

There are too many memories to put into words, too many highlights that live on for me and others who were fortunate enough to have seen Larry Brown play the game. He will always be a Hall of Famer in my book and one of the Greatest Redskins to have ever have played the game.

Scott Peek

From THN’s Interview With Larry Brown

Vince (Lombardi) figured it out.

One day while watching game footage in slow motion, he asked me why I was late moving on the snap count. I told him I had difficulty reading the defensive alignments. I thought my answer would satisfy his curiosity and put the issue to rest.

Later in the week, I was sitting in front of my locker at RFK Stadium. I saw two men approaching me in long white coats and I said to myself, “What could I have done to deserve this kind of treatment?” I remember thinking “St. Elizabeth Hospital (insane asylum) here I come!”

Fortunately for me, these men were there to give me a hearing examination. Which confirmed that I was deaf in one ear. Shortly thereafter, Vince got permission from the NFL Commissioner to install a hearing aid in my helmet.

The day we tested it, he asked me to put the helmet on and go to the other side of the locker room. He said, “Larry can you hear me?” I said, “Coach I have NEVER had any trouble hearing YOU.” We had a good laugh and the rest is history!

Complete transcript of our exclusive fan question interview done with Larry Brown.

Larry Brown Wallpaper

All Pro Selections

1970
Associated Press All-NFL (1st Team), Associated Press All-Conference (1st Team), The Sporting News All-Conference (1st Team), Pro Football Writers Association All-NFL (1st Team), Pro Football Weekly All-NFL (1st Team), Pro Football Weekly All-Conference (1st Team), United Press International All-Conference (1st Team), Newspaper Enterprise Association All-NFL (1st Team)

1971
United Press International All-Conference (1st Team), Pro Football Weekly All-Conference (1st Team), The Sporting News All-Conference (1st Team), Newspaper Enterprise Association All-NFL (2nd Team)

1972
Associated Press All-NFL (1st Team), Associated Press All-Conference (1st Team), The Sporting News All-Conference (1st Team), Pro Football Writers Association All-NFL (1st Team), Pro Football Weekly All-NFL (1st Team), Pro Football Weekly All-Conference (1st Team), United Press International All-Conference (1st Team), Newspaper Enterprise Association All-NFL (1st Team)