Brown, "Larry" (Lawrence Jr.)
Football
b. Sept. 19, 1947, Clairton, PA
A remarkable success story, Brown played for two seasons at Dodge City Junior College in Kansas and entered Kansas State University, where he was used primarily as a blocking back. He joined the NFL's Washington Redskins in 1969 as an eighth-round draft choice.
Redskin Coach Vince Lombardi noticed that Brown sometimes didn't seem to know what play had been called. It was discovered that he was deaf in his right ear and Brown was fitted with a hearing aid. He responded by gaining 888 yards rushing as a rookie. In 1970, he led the league in rushing with 1,125 yards on 237 carries, a 4.4 average.
Two years later, Brown was again the NFL's leading rusher, gaining 1,216 yards on 285 attempts, a 4.3 average, and was named the league's player of the year. An all-NFC running back in both 1970 and 1972, Brown retired after the 1976 season.
In his eight professional seasons, Brown gained 5,875 yards in 1,530 attempts, a 3.8 average, and scored 35 touchdowns. He caught 238 passes for 2,485 yards, a 10.4 average, and 20 touchdowns.