MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2020 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Thomas, Blackmon, Blackwell, Caughman, Chassaniol, Fillingane, Hopson, Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Jordan, Norwood, Simmons (12th), Simmons (13th)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REMEMBERING AND PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEGACY OF OAKLAND RAIDER SUPER BOWL CHAMPION WILLIAM F. (WILLIE) BROWN OF YAZOO CITY, MISSISSIPPI, AND EXTENDING THE CONDOLENCES OF THE LEGISLATURE TO HIS SURVIVING FAMILY.
WHEREAS, Willie Brown was one of the greatest defensive football players to ever play the game of football. Before Willie was a Super Bowl Champion with a Hall of Fame career, he was one of a number of talented athletes growing up in Yazoo City; and
WHEREAS, on November 16, 2019, friends and family gathered to remember the hometown hero, who passed away on October 21, 2019, at the age of 78, during a memorial service at the L.T. Miller Community Center in Yazoo City; and
WHEREAS, Willie Brown was born to Sam and Willie Jane Brown on December 2, 1940, in Yazoo City, Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, in 1959, William graduated from Yazoo City Training High School as one of Mississippi's most sought-after high school athletes. He is a graduate of Grambling State University where he met Elizabeth Black, the mother of his three children. He entered the American Football League as an undrafted free agent out of Grambling State University before joining the Denver Broncos in 1963; and
WHEREAS, in 1967, William was traded to the Oakland Raiders in a three-way trade and third-round draft pick between Denver. He remained an integral part of the organization through six decades. His legendary performance on the field changed the way the corner back position was played and his valued guidance as a coach, mentor and leader permeated the organization and touched countless individuals both on and off the field and within communities across the country; and
WHEREAS, William was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on July 28, 1984. He shares the Raiders' all-time lead of 39 interceptions. Willie was named All-Pro four times, played in nine AFL/AFC title games, four NFL Pro Bowls and five AFL All-Star games, four Pro Bowl games with the Raiders, plus Super Bowls II and XI. He set a then-Super Bowl record with a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown against Minnesota in Super Bowl XI. Willie played in 204 regular season games with the Raiders and the Denver Broncos; and
WHEREAS, William was the 1968 winner of the Gorman Award as the Player Who Best Exemplifies the Pride and Spirit of the Oakland Raiders. William was also inducted into the Grambling State University Hall of Fame in 1983, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1985, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2001, the African American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame in 2010, the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2012, and the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, the Yazoo County Chamber of Commerce hosted "Willie Brown Day" in Yazoo City in celebration of Brown's success. It was one of many times that Brown returned to his beloved hometown. Willie held a free football camp for local youth at Yazoo City High School and came back home for class reunions and to support many worthy causes. Fame did not change Willie, and he never forgot his home and where he came from; and
WHEREAS, William is survived by his former wife, Elizabeth Brown, and his three children: William F. Brown, Jr., (Kelley), Antoinette Brown-Leon (Michael) and Allison Brown; grandchildren: Chanel Elizabeth, Cydnie Milan and William Wesley; and great-grandchildren: Celine Elizabeth and Brielle Rae. William came from a large loving family with eight siblings: Sam Brown, Jr., (Norma), David Brown (Cynthia), Milton Brown (Deborah), Donald Brown (Jennifer), Ben Brown, Jeffrey Brown, Bennie Dean Williams and Julia Brown Karimu. Willie was preceded in death by his parents; his stepmother, Mary Ella Brown; stepsister, Shirley Jackson Imbert; and stepbrother, Homer Jerry Jackson; and
WHEREAS, William loved being with his family, visiting his home in Yazoo City and was looking forward to spending his Golden Years in the country; and
WHEREAS, we pay tribute and cherish fondly the memory of this most public-spirited professional athlete of Mississippi and his legacy of leadership and dedication to his hometown and to the State of Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby remember and pay tribute to the professional football legacy of Oakland Raider Super Bowl Champion William F. (Willie) Brown of Yazoo City, Mississippi, and extend the condolences of the Legislature to his surviving family.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Willie Brown and the Yazoo City Council, forwarded to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.