Bergen Native, Hall Of Famer Roosevelt Brown Honored Before Super Bowl LI

TEANECK, N.J. — A former Teaneck native and Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Roosevelt Brown Jr., along with several other players from historically black colleges and universities, was honored before Super Bowl LI Sunday.

Brown was a black all-american at Morgan State and was selected 27th by the Giants in the 1953 draft and became a star offensive tackle for them for 13 years, the Pro Football Hall of Fame said of Brown.Brown signed a one-year contract for $3,000 with no signing bonus, The New York Times reported in his June 2014 obituary.

Brown was 71 when he died of a heart attack while gardening, according to the obituary.

Brown was an offensive line coach from 1966 to 1971 and then became a scout for the Giants, the obituary stated.

Brown was an excellent downfield blocker and was named the NFL's lineman of the year in 1956.

"'Rosie gave a spontaneous philosophical talk," said former Giants General Manager Ernie Accorsi said in the Times' obituary. "If it was recorded, it would be a manuscript for how to conduct a draft, a manuscript on scouting, on how to get these kids to become a finished product. He was a very wise man.''

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Photo: Roosevelt Brown — Used under fair use terms/Background image via Shutterstock