Willie Brown

High school

Yazoo City High School

College

Grambling State University

Pro team(s)

Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders

Hall of Fame

⭐ Pro Football Hall of Fame

Willie Brown was born on December 2, 1940, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, and attended high school there before going to Grambling State University in Louisiana — one of the most storied HBCU football programs in the country under legendary coach Eddie Robinson. Despite his exceptional college career, he went undrafted in 1963 and signed with the Houston Oilers as a free agent, then was cut before the season. The Denver Broncos signed him, and he immediately proved to be one of the finest cornerbacks in professional football. Traded to the Oakland Raiders in 1967, he joined the franchise where he would spend the defining years of his career and become one of the most celebrated defenders in the history of the position. Brown was a cornerstone of the Raiders' dynasty of the 1970s — a 6-foot-1 corner who combined exceptional instincts, physicality, and ball-hawking ability to be a consistent All-Pro performer. He was selected to All-AFL/AFC eight times in his career. His most celebrated individual moment came in Super Bowl XI following the 1976 season: in the fourth quarter, Brown intercepted a Fran Tarkenton pass and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown, sealing a 32-14 Oakland victory over the Minnesota Vikings. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984 in his first year of eligibility. Born and raised in Yazoo City, Mississippi.