Six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Roger Brown died Friday at the age of 84, according to his family.
Brown played seven seasons for the Detroit Lions after they drafted him in the fourth round of the 1960 NFL draft, making the Pro Bowl every year from 1962 to 1966. He was also a Pro Bowler in 1967 during his three seasons (1967-69) with the Los Angeles Rams.
“Roger Brown will always hold a special place in our team’s history,” Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp said in a statement. “A member of the Lions’ esteemed ‘Fearsome Foursome’ of the 1960s with Alex Karras, Darris McCord and Sam Williams, Roger’s career accomplishments solidify his legacy alongside some of the all-time greats of our game.
“… We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Kay, and the entire Brown family.”
Before his NFL career, Brown was a two-time NAIA All-American at then-Maryland State (now Maryland Eastern Shore). He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.