Derrick Brooks Remembers Jim Brown
May 20th, 2023
Bucs legend Derrick Brooks.
Joe never knew Bucs icon Derrick Brooks had a relationship with Jim Brown.
Brown, who many regard as the greatest player in NFL history, passed away yesterday. He was 87.
Brown had deep respect in many circles, not just in football. But especially within the Pro Football Hall of Fame family, of which Warren Sapp, John Lynch and Brooks are members of the elite and exclusive fraternity.
(Rondé Barber will be inducted this summer. The late, great Lee Roy Selmon has a bust there as well.)
Joe remembers Pro Football Hall of Fame selector and JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman telling Joe that at Hall of Fame functions, whenever Brown arrived or walked into a room, a hush would come over the gathered.
Ira said that never happened with any other member of the Hall of Fame, only Brown. He was revered that much.
Not only was Brown, the legendary running back for the Cleveland Browns, iconic for his football dominance (he averaged over 100 yards rushing a game, led the league in rushing eight of his nine seasons and never missed a game), he was an agent of change during the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s.
Brown’s efforts to help communities thrive continued until his passing. It’s not hyperbole to suggest Brown helped improve the world outside of football.
Brown will be missed for his tireless efforts to better society.
My prayers go to heaven for the family of the GOAT(Mr. Jim Brown) RIP & words can not express my gratitude for this time spent together last summer in Canton! I will continue to use all my resources to help other people & make our world a better place! 🙏🏾🙏🏾👊🏾👊🏾 pic.twitter.com/LBQt72NmJc
— Derrick Brooks (@DBrooks55) May 20, 2023
May 20th, 2023 at 1:38 am
I started actually watching football at 19 years old in 1970 so I never got to actually watch him play. I saw the clips, though.
May 20th, 2023 at 3:23 am
From what I’ve read over the years he was considered a man of integrity, who just so happened to punish opposing defenses every single game. The man was Earl Campbell and then some.
May 20th, 2023 at 4:46 am
Yeah, Brown was a “great” guy and a truly great football player.
He is also a man who has been accused of and investigated for beating women at least six times over several decades, a period of time spanning from the 1960s through 2000.
He was also a scary guy. One look or threat from him forced men to shake and women to change their stories. “Uh, I made a mistake. Jim didn’t hit me. I tripped off that balcony.”
If you’re seeking to emulate heroes, I suggest you look elsewhere than the likes of Jim Brown.
May 20th, 2023 at 6:34 am
Does anybaody doubt what a class act Brooks is?
Pay attention you young guys this is how it’s done.
Brown and Brooks
May 20th, 2023 at 6:46 am
DB55. Still the Greatest Buccaneer of all time. Devin White should have handled his business like Mr. Derrick Brooks. Not DeSean Jackson.
May 20th, 2023 at 7:56 am
Loved just blocks away from the SU practice field. After school I would go over there and try to be the one that got to carry his helmet back to the looker room. Succeed a couple times.
May 20th, 2023 at 7:56 am
Lived
May 20th, 2023 at 8:08 am
Brown was great in the movies, too- The Dirty Dozen
May 20th, 2023 at 8:16 am
Loved him in the Dirty Dozen.
May 20th, 2023 at 9:46 am
@JA
Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone
May 20th, 2023 at 10:10 am
RIP.
May 20th, 2023 at 10:11 am
Great Human! Much love and respect RIP MR. Brown
May 20th, 2023 at 10:35 am
More impactful of the field as he was on the field but yes great human being and the news is sad to here but we all gotta go sometimes. He’s still going out on top
May 20th, 2023 at 11:37 am
ATL great response
May 20th, 2023 at 3:03 pm
That was Jim Brown in the dirty Dozen? I didn’t realize that.
May 20th, 2023 at 8:22 pm
I grew up on the Ohio River in the 50’s, right across from Cincinnati. This was before the Bengals existed and so much as Tampa had the Miami Dolphins for their “home team” on TV, we had the Cleveland Browns for our Sunday games.
I can feel some room for debate when it comes to GOATS in basketball, hockey, baseball, but not football!!! Jimmy Brown was simply the man. The durability, the success, the classy cool swagger which he took from the football field to the movies. He was THE MAN!
He had a great habit. After EVERY play he walked back to the huddle like he had just been hammered! Slowly making his way back. When asked about that after his career….”Was he really hurt every play?” He smiled and said, “No but if I stagger back to the huddle after every play they’ll never know when they really did hurt me, and I don’t want them to ever have any advantage.”
May 20th, 2023 at 9:15 pm
Its a Fact Jim Brown was no Angel. But how many of us are? Yes he was accused of a lot of things. I’m quite sure he did a few of them. We all got something. But lets not deny the Fact. Mr Brown is in the top 5 of Football GOATS Jim was the man on the field. Rest In Peace Sir.
May 21st, 2023 at 12:06 am
“It’s a Fact Jim Brown was no Angel. But how many of us are? Yes he was accused of a lot of things. I’m quite sure he did a few of them. We all got something. But lets not deny the Fact. Mr Brown is in the top 5 of Football GOATS Jim was the man on the field. Rest In Peace Sir.“
Speak for yourself. There are plenty of people, I’d even wager MOST people, who don’t have anything in their pasts that is even remotely as abhorrent as the stuff Jim Brown did.
May 21st, 2023 at 1:46 am
lets go back all the way to 1994, and believe it or not this is the first time telling this, other than a few remarks of, “hey I worked for Jim Brown, anywho’s, I met Jim Brown when I worked at his house off Sunset Plaza, I worked there 2 days, I remember his legs were like a god, he had a basketball hoop on his driveway, Jim shot hoops and I bounced the ball back to him and he would shoot it again, he never missed, I mean it, he never missed and of course I knew who he was, but never brought it up, but the one thing I now regret was not going one on one with Jim, back in those days I rarely missed my shots either, I wasn’t star struck, I was there to work, anywhos, Jim was very friendly, and down to earth, I’ll never forget those legs, this guy was a machine, RIP Jim Brown
May 21st, 2023 at 10:41 am
He was far and away the BEST football player of all time. He dominated the field. No other player can compare. You can argue who the 2nd best RB of all time was, but no one can argue that Brown was the #1 RB of all time. Brady is the GOAT #2, but Brown holds the #1 spot for sure.
May 21st, 2023 at 12:22 pm
Brown holds the number 1 spot for sure……. in your eyes.