Rosey Brown
Encyclopedia
Roosevelt "Rosey" Brown, Jr. (October 20, 1932 – June 9, 2004) was an American football
offensive lineman in the National Football League
for the New York Giants
from 1953 to 1965.
Brown was drafted
by the Giants out of Morgan State University
in the 1953 NFL Draft
after being noticed by the Giants in the Pittsburgh Courier
, an African-American newspaper
that named him to their 1952 Black All-American team. On the offensive line, Brown pass blocked for quarterback
s Charlie Conerly
and Y. A. Tittle
and run blocked for backs like Alex Webster and Frank Gifford
. Despite his 6'3", 255-pound frame, Brown was very quick on his feet which was very unusual for his era. He is considered one of the greatest "sleeper picks" in NFL history as he was drafted in 27th round of the NFL Draft.
Brown was named to the Pro Bowl
a total of nine times and helped the Giants win the NFL Championship in 1956.
Following the 1965 season, Brown retired, suffering from chronic phlebitis
. He became the Giants' assistant offensive line coach in 1966 and was promoted to offensive line coach in 1969. He remained with the Giants organization in the scouting department for many years.
In 1999, he was ranked number 57 on The Sporting News
list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
offensive lineman in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
from 1953 to 1965.
Brown was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the Giants out of Morgan State University
Morgan State University
Morgan State University, formerly Centenary Biblical Institute , Morgan College and Morgan State College , is a historically black college in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Morgan is Maryland's designated public urban university and the largest HBCU in the state of Maryland...
in the 1953 NFL Draft
1953 NFL Draft
The 1953 National Football League Draft was held on January 22, 1953.-Player selections:-Round one:* HOF Member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:...
after being noticed by the Giants in the Pittsburgh Courier
Pittsburgh Courier
The Pittsburgh Courier was an American newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which was published from 1907 to 1965. Once the country's most widely circulated Black newspaper, the legacy and influence of the Pittsburgh Courier is unparalleled.A pillar of the Black Press, it rose...
, an African-American newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
that named him to their 1952 Black All-American team. On the offensive line, Brown pass blocked for quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
s Charlie Conerly
Charlie Conerly
Charles Albert Conerly, Jr. was an American football quarterback in the National Football League for the New York Giants from 1948 through 1961. Conerly was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966.-College career:Conerly attended and played college football at the University of...
and Y. A. Tittle
Y. A. Tittle
Yelberton Abraham Tittle , better known as Y. A. Tittle, is a former football quarterback in the National Football League and All-America Football Conference who played for the Baltimore Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and the New York Giants...
and run blocked for backs like Alex Webster and Frank Gifford
Frank Gifford
Francis Newton "Frank" Gifford is a Hall of Fame former American football player and American sportscaster.-Early life:Gifford was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Lola Mae and Weldon Gifford, an oil driller....
. Despite his 6'3", 255-pound frame, Brown was very quick on his feet which was very unusual for his era. He is considered one of the greatest "sleeper picks" in NFL history as he was drafted in 27th round of the NFL Draft.
Brown was named to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
a total of nine times and helped the Giants win the NFL Championship in 1956.
Following the 1965 season, Brown retired, suffering from chronic phlebitis
Phlebitis
Phlebitis is an inflammation of a vein, usually in the legs.When phlebitis is associated with the formation of blood clots , usually in the deep veins of the legs, the condition is called thrombophlebitis...
. He became the Giants' assistant offensive line coach in 1966 and was promoted to offensive line coach in 1969. He remained with the Giants organization in the scouting department for many years.
In 1999, he was ranked number 57 on The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.