THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, November 1, 2019 Page 9 I remember Willie By The Old Sachem, Bill Stewart M ost of you readers know that I was a great fan of the early Oakland Raiders with their string of great quarterbacks, such as Ken Stabler, George Blanda, Rich Gannon and Tom Flores, but my favorite was the “Mad Bomber of Oakland, Daryle Lamonica. That led me to watch the Raiders whenever possible. The National Football League historically overlooked the black college players. These same players were barred from competition in the southern college leagues. When the American Football League was formed in 1960, they were able to quickly achieve parity because they recruited what they determined to be the best players available. Colleges such as Grambling State University became hot spots for the AFL. The NFL were barely selecting black players from the white colleges. The AFL came in and said, “We don’t care what color you are, we want you to play in the AFL.” NFL scouts didn’t bother to look into players from Grambling, Texas Southern, Prairie View and similar black colleges. Willie Brown was one of the early black players to play in the AFL. He was not drafted by either the NFL or the AFL, he was given a chance to tryout at the training camp for the Houston Oilers, but they cut him from the team. He next tried out with the Denver Broncos, where he was given a contract. In 1964 he intercepted nine passes and was elected to his first Pro Bowl. Eventually Denver couldn’t find a place for him, so they traded Willie to Oakland. William Ferdie Brown was born December 2, 1940, in YaBill Stewart The Old Sachem zoo City, Mississippi, and attended Grambling State University, where he was a wide receiver and linebacker under legendary coach Eddie Robinson. Willie’s professional claim to fame was his interception and dash for 75 yards to pay dirt against the Minnesota Vikings in the 1977 Super Bowl. The Raiders radio announcer, Bill King, shouted “Old Man Willie” on the interception, then “Touchdown Raiders” to commence the tribute. Brown was a great cornerback – traded to the Raiders in 1967 as the team was having a stellar season. Willie had 39 interceptions during his 12 seasons with the Raiders. He also got 7 more interceptions in the 1977 playoffs. Coach John Madden of the Raiders claimed Brown was one of the best cornerbacks to ever play the game. He maintained that his job was not to intercept passes, but to ensure that the receiver could not catch them. After his professional football career was over, he was the team’s defensive backfield coach from 1979 to 1988. During that time the Raiders won two more Super Bowls: 1981 and 1984. Brown then coached the football team at Long Beach State in California, while achieving a master’s degree at the college. In 1994 he coached the team of Jordan High School in Los Angeles. He went back to the Raiders in 1995 as director of staff development and served in many administrative positions, becoming the team ambassador. He was installed into both the Black College Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984. In 1999 Willie Brown was ranked as the fiftieth on the Sporting News list of 100 Greatest Football Players of all time. I was fortunate to see him play in Fenway Park for the Raiders against the Boston Patriots. Brown died at the age of 78 in Tracy, California, a great player, coach and scholar and favored by Oakland fans forever. SNOW BLOWER SALES, SERVICE & REPAIRS Pickup/Delivery Available 781-289-6466 WE WORK FOR YOU! * Have your car repaired by Real Manufacturer Certiified Technicians * An I-CAR GOLD CLASS SHOP Highest Certificate in the Repair Industry * Premier Insurance Co. Collision Repair Shop for Geico, Liberty Mutual, Metlife, Progressive and more! * Over 30 Years of putting families back on the Road Safe & Fast! * ATLAS Stands Behind All Repairs with a Limited Lifetime Warranty 1605 North Shore Road, Revere * 781-284-1200 Visit us at: www.AtlasAutobody.com or call (781) 284-1200 to schedule your appointment today!
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