Brown, "Rosie" (Roosevelt Jr.)
Football
b. Oct. 20, 1932, Charlottesville, VA
d. June 9, 2004
One of the first players from a predominantly black college to star in the NFL, and the first to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Brown was a Little All-American tackle at Morgan State College in 1952. He joined the New York Giants the following season. Still only twenty years old, he knew nothing about professional football except that he had listened to a championship game on the radio.
But he was 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds and he was fast enough to pull out of the line to lead interference like a guard. He became a starter at offensive tackle in his first season and remained there for the rest of his career. In his 13 seasons with the Giants, he was an All-Pro 8 years in a row, from 1956 through 1963, and he played in 10 Pro Bowls. Brown was named outstanding lineman when the Giants beat the Chicago Bears 47-7 for the 1956 NFL title.
Because of phlebitis, Brown retired after the 1965 season.