NFL Films Feature - Larry Brown

Lawrence "Larry" Brown, Jr. (born September 19, 1947) is a former professional American football player in the National Football League (NFL) who played running back for the Washington Redskins from 1969 to 1976.
Raised in nearby Pittsburgh, he attended Schenley High School, Dodge City Community College, and Kansas State University, his original interest being in baseball. He later developed an overriding interest in football.

[@donrondeau8612]

When you are a deaf, 195 running back that starts for Vince Lombardi as a rookie, you are the Man !

[@Russ_Hoops]

I loved watching Larry Brown play. He is one of my five all-time favorite Redskins.

[@MGAF688]

My favorite Redskins: 1. John Riggins 1a. Darrell Green 3. Joe Theismann 4. Art Monk 5. Larry Brown Honorable Mentions: Clinton Portis, Sammy Baugh, Pat Fischer HTTR

[@jamesrinaldi1856]

Me too him and gale sayers

[@jamesrinaldi1856]

​@@MGAF688larry brown Darrell green, Ken Houston Mark moseley. Joe Theismann Alfred Morris

[@MrHarley84]

He should be in the Hall of Fame.

[@zyxwut321]

He was kind of like the Terrell Davis of his era. A short, brilliant workhorse career cut short by injuries. His cumulative numbers wouldn't put him in the Hall but he was as tough as they came in a tough era.

[@joeblow2069]

He was not good enough for long enough.

[@MrHarley84]

@@joeblow2069 his career was riddled with injuries towards the end of his career, which is to bad.

[@joeblow2069]

@@MrHarley84 So? That's what keeps most good backs out of the hall of fame. They break down and are done by the age of 28.

[@MrHarley84]

@@joeblow2069 George Allen ran him to death.

[@robertthomson5485]

The toughest football player I ever saw. Every hit he took throughout his career would have been a career ender for most.

[@kcash6359]

I had two posters in my bedroom as a kid. Muhammad Ali & Larry Brown. Brown was a great running back, but he was 5'11, 195 lbs. Injuries slowed his career after a few years. Great to see him on here.

[@scottcox19]

My all time favorite as well.8 years old when I started watching

[@tlo1988]

As a cowboys fan I love and respect him!

[@tlo1988]

Dude was a bad ass! Btw I am a diehard cowboys fan

[@johnr8456]

The most underrated PLAYER EVER in NFL history.

[@robertboydiiido-bolsa7531]

Four straight pro bowls and two All Pro teams. He was in no way underrated.

[@XCLent0]

Remember seeing this as a kid. He is the reason I am a Redskins fan. #firebruceallen

[@jamesrinaldi1856]

Me too. Since I was 10. Im 58 now and still a skins fan. Beat tom brady

[@justsean5]

Cool he is my cousin

[@MaximusWolfe]

The NFL hall of fame is a joke. How in hell did this beast miss a first ballot induction. One of the premier backs of his era and a fearless competitor.

[@MrHarley84]

The trouble is if you go to long and don't make it your chances are greatly reduced. He SHOULD be in the hall.

[@davidr5961]

Maybe, if he had a better performance in SB VII. I remember the Dolphins and that No name defense stopped him cold, ...but then again, they were perfect that year. But he did have a great heart v

[@primateproductions126]

It is a joke. Watched Larry as a kid and he was fearless and gave 110 percent on every run. Much respect for this guy.

[@zyxwut321]

Didn't do it for long enough. Otherwise, obviously he's in.

[@lwmson]

He was good, no question. But I suppose his stats were never considered HOF worthy. He only had two 1,000+ seasons in his 8-year career.

[@lwmson]

Larry Brown may not have possessed great attributes like the blazing speed of OJ Simpson, the power of Larry Czonka, or the size of Chuck Muncie, but his instinct to find openings was what made him one of the best of his era.

[@tommythomason6187]

He was a halfback that would dish out some hurt. You can't play forever at that level. He was a 150 percenter! Kind of like Walter Payton.

[@denisceballos9745]

Exactly! A real pleasure to watch #43. He ran with abandon. So many big plays.

[@DNSKansas]

True story: in September 1974, Brown was invited to lunch at the Supreme Court by Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. Brown asked Powell whether he preferred being a lawyer or a justice. Powell shot back to Brown "Would you rather be a player or a referee?" The story was relayed to Bob Woodward by Justice Potter Stewart and included in Woodward's 1979 book "The Brethren".

[@MGAF688]

Should we assume the answer is a lawyer to the first question and a player to the second question? I would rather be a justice and a player.

[@tubewatcher38]

A running back & his body are like an outlaw & his horse... Great runner & one of my fav's.

[@frankdenardo8684]

John Facenda the greatest NFL films narrator.

[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

He is. Other memorable narrators have included Harry Kalas, Pat Summerall,Jack Brickhouse,Brad Crandall,Jim Gibbons,Earl Mann, Robb Webb,Jeff Kaye and Jim Birdsall.

[@frankdenardo8684]

@@armorybrunotjr.3204 I do remember Pat Summerall, Brad Crandall, Harry Kalas, Jeff Kaye. A couple of New York Giants highlight films was narrated by Giants legend Frank Gifford.

[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

Jim Gibbons, a Washington Redskins broadcaster of the 1950s, narrated, "The Joy of It All", about the 1966 team. Jack Brickhouse did highlights of the Chicago Bears.

[@frankdenardo8684]

@@armorybrunotjr.3204 Jim Stackhouse was a legendary Chicago sports broadcaster.

[@ourrightsmatter154]

My favorite player

[@danielharford1864]

Pittsburgh Legend. Hill District tough. Great running back.

[@calvinbealer7264]

Definitely deserve to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

[@yusufu9]

A truly great football player and all class as a human being. If he hadn't been run into the ground through overuse, he would have made a few more pro bowls and a place in the HOF. Thanks for sharing.

[@willbergie55]

I remember Larry Brown, he was a good one!

[@marksheppard6498]

My favorite runner when I was a kid. I even tried to stiff leg run like he did.

[@docellis9388]

Larry WAS BAAAAD!!!!!

[@strothermartin5368]

Now that's the Redskins,brings back memories.

[@joelprieto7231]

those were the real football days,watching this week in the NFL with Tom Brookchild and Pat Summerall or NFL game of the week on Saturday during Football season,boy I miss those days.

[@NihonDava]

This is is awesome, thank you! A good synopsis of the great man.

[@MGAF688]

Larry Brown's per game yards from scrimmage averages: 1969 - 85.0 - Pro Bowl 1970 - 112.8 - 1st Team All-Pro/Pro Bowl/NFL Rushing Leader 1971 - 86.5 - 2nd Team All-Pro/Pro Bowl 1972 - 140.8 - 1st Team All-Pro/Pro Bowl/NFL MVP/NFC POY/NFL Offensive POY/NFL Yards from Scrimmage Leader 1973 - 95.9 - NFL Touchdowns Scored Leader 1974 - 74.4 1975 - 41.2 1976 - 14.0 Keep in mind that Brown was an 8th Round selection. Lombardi installed him as a starter however and the rest was history.

[@dajosee]

I've watched this NFL Film "Enduring Professionals" starring Larry Brown, Dick Butkis, Jim Plunket, Jim Marshall, Dick Vermeil, and Billy Kilmer many, many times. My tape is in much worse condition than this video, but as the great Larry Brown said "You've got to ride that Nag till it drops"

[@NihonDava]

I really want a Larry Brown poster NOW!

[@garrettyoung5162]

Had one when i was a kid in 72. I was 8. He was my hero.

[@claudiatucker5145]

Larry Brown was the epitome of the modern day NFL running back. Brown was tough, gritty, determined Swiss Army knife tailback.

[@MikeB-sp6gp]

It's so ironic. He really had two great seasons and one very good season (with '71, an off year, in the midst of them). After that, he was basically just staying in lineups, and then on rosters, until he retired. On the other hand, if he hadn't gotten hurt, where would he be today? Almost certainly not the prestigious, still highly productive man he is in his seventies. Should one of the criteria for making it into the HOF be that you permanently maim yourself? Destroy your brain? Cripple yourself? Best running back in the entire NFL for two seasons-- during one of the last rushing eras. The center of every single game he played during those years. "The ball goes to Larry Brown." "Larry Brown 4 and a half yards. First down." "Larry Brown through the hole and runs for 8. First down." That was what you heard all day long watching the Redskins on TV. Larry Brown should be in The Football Hall of Fame."

[@redskindan78]

If Larry Brown played today? He would be king of the running backs, a model that teams would search for. Not just a great runner, with an explosive takeoff that put him past the line of scrimmage the instant the ball was snapped, but a great, great receiver. Brown gained his rushing yards without much of an OL, and that's why his acceleration was so important. Throw the ball and Brown could take a 10 yard pass for a TD. Oh, and Brown remained a cut-em-in-half blocker.

[@dominicharkin1637]

Larry Brown was an old-school running back for the Redskins

[@6400az]

OK , got it !

[@thereilneid2868]

Really?????

[@keithbailey2166]

I notice one thing about him u look at the backs now they fumble this man took so hard hits never cough the ball up

[@knowtheledge1930]

Definitely one of the toughest runners I've seen run the ball.

[@christopherdavanzo6258]

What a bad-ass! What a kick-ass exemplary inspiration.

[@Mulavi]

Didn’t know Larry Brown was from Pittsburgh. So am I. He was my first favorite running back when I started getting into football as a kid.

[@robertpanetta7912]

Hall of fame or not . The players who played with him and against him in those 6 years , his peers new how great he was and one thing that time can never take from him was at one point he was the best player in pro football

[@thenobleone-3384]

Running backs have to be tough this position is my favorite to watch in Football as well as the QB

[@mikevanriel7573]

Larry Brown would have been in the NFL Hall of Fame if George Allen did not run him into the ground.

[@DNSKansas]

The reason the Redskins drafted Mike Thomas in '75 and acquired John Riggins in '76

[@brucestewart7371]

It was sick to watch George Allen kill him. He killed Sonny Jurgensen the opposite way - by not using him.

[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

Remember this: George Allen and Sonny Jurgensen weren't exactly bosom buddies when he became head coach in 1971. The reason he acquired veteran Billy Kilmer was this: Allen had a "safety first" offense; that is, an offense where he wanted his quarterback to throw the ball a set number of times to get the running attack going. Jurgensen simply didn't like the new offense; he liked throwing 50 or 60 times a game, but Allen said no. Kilmer was a better set for Allen's offense. Jurgensen ended up in Allen's doghouse. And prior to the 1975 season Allen forced Jurgensen to retire.

[@chrisrobinson8339]

@@armorybrunotjr.3204 Damn

[@howardcosell2022]

Many coaches during this time rode their backs till the wheels came off. Lombardi and Bill Austin used Brown just the same before George Allen came along

[@mikeconner9905]

Redskins fan just recommended me to this.

[@MrRufusRToyota]

Loved this dude

[@lilbash8]

if he had a longer career he would been in the hof

[@tubewatcher38]

Definitely.

[@angusthecat8326]

the veterans committee needs to put him in. only backs that i ever saw that were tougher were payton and campbell. this guy was a fucking beast

[@6400az]

Or ended up crippled .

[@walter770]

To me he was the greatest.

[@dcbandnerd]

Part of me wonders if George Allen played a major role in that. Brown was, more or less, the focal point of the offense in the early to mid 1970s but maybe he was used too much. Brown was the primary rusher and was near the top of the team's charts in receptions. He didn't have the kind of help his HoF contemporaries had.

[@rickylane3155]

It' a disgrace he's not in the HOF!

[@yourontheair]

great

[@tommythomason6187]

Read his book. His great antagonists were the New York Giants. "You're not going to get a hundred," they'd tell him, during one of their big matchups of the day after ANOTHER bruising tackle, he recalled. "They stopped talking when I started piling on the yards," he stated in his book.

[@howardcosell2022]

The match-ups with Giant Ron Johnson were always war of attrition games where last one standing was the winner

[@joeblow2069]

Can people stop insisting he belongs in the hall of fame. 5800 yards does not get you into the hall usually and he only had 2 thousand yard seasons.

[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

Larry Brown should have been a Hall of Famer. He starred with the Washington Redskins (1969-76) and was the first player in team history to gain 1,000 yards in a season in 1970. Despite being overused by head coach George Allen, he ran his way to becoming the Redskins all-time ground gainer (long since broken by John Riggins) with 5,875 yards. Brown had the most trips to the Pro Bowl by a Redskins running back with four.

[@clydeglide2041]

Why isn’t he in The Hall of Fame?!? Also Otis Taylor of KC Chiefs? Both men are very deserving.

[@6400az]

I guess that's how they played back then, but totally uncalled for <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="220">3:40</a>

[@joboots007]

In his first 5 years Brown was one of the top 5 backs in the league,but by '76 the constant pounding had so much cut into his production which I believe was one of the reasons the Skins brought in John Riggins that season!!!!!

[@DNSKansas]

No doubt the Redskins brought in Riggins to replace Brown. Mike Thomas had been drafted in '75 in an attempt to replace Brown's production, but George Allen preferred a big plowhorse, and Riggins fit the bill.

[@cjs83172]

Not to mention that Allen didn't really like young players. Allen always treasured the value of age and experience, which is why his team's always lost in the playoffs, except for 1972, when his Redskins did manage to get to the Super Bowl. His aging players usually ran out of gas by the time the post-season arrived, which is one reason why his teams were handily defeated in the playoffs in 1971, '73, '74, and '76.

[@christopherdelgaudio9484]

Great back but not a HOF and I'm a insane Redskins fan!!

[@percybear1]

Now I see why Sean Payton limits Alvin Kamara's touches

[@jamesrinaldi1856]

I agree

[@mclaren3028]

I remember Larry Brown galloped when he ran.

[@MrHarley84]

It's so unfortunate that his career was cut short with injuries because he was Hall of Fame.

[@jameswandall2431]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="60">1:00</a>..fav pt of the video..running through & past the Cowgirls for a TD 😄😎👍 HTTR !! FFODC !!

[@THEREDHOTWRECK]

Does anyone know the name of the soundtracks used in this video?

[@Football__Junkie]

Is this from Best Ever: Professionals? Do you have the whole video?

[@cjs83172]

+dth0414 It most certainly is from "Best Ever Professionals". I once uploaded the entire program in multiple parts, but refuse to upload anything NFL-related because of the possible ramifications of doing so.

[@deloreanfleetwood1394]

what was the theme in the beginning of the video?

[@nataliedeleon119]

i was in elementary school with larry passaic nj in early 60s also dennis jonhson of redskings the teacher was miss kessler. believe it or not. albert de leon.

[@6400az]

Charlie Taylor block <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="344">5:44</a>

[@tubewatcher38]

Prob the best blocking wide receiver (w/ Hines Ward) in nfl history, not to mention one of the greatest receivers.

[@rickbowser3308]

I would love to know the title of the music track on this reel from <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="152">2:32</a> - <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="240">4:00</a>...love it!!

[@scotday]

I was friends with Sam Spence I havehis entire catalog I will look it up and get back too you

[@gejuancummings5040]

From about 1969 to 72 or 73..Larry Brown,OJ Simpson, Floyd Little,and maybe Ron Johnson of the Giants were the premier backs in the NFL.Brown was as tough as they come.if Floyd Little can make the hall of fame,Larry Brown should be in there as well

[@THEREDHOTWRECK]

What soundtrack was used in the beginning of the video?

[@MGAF688]

Brown certainly had a Hall of Fame start to his career. Unfortunately, his career was truncated and falls into the category of what could have been.

[@6400az]

+Luke Enno How does one get truncated ?

[@tubewatcher38]

lol Run the ball against nfl defenses.

[@6400az]

tubewatcher38 I remember, it's person specific word., Howard Cosell...right. ? If you hear , disingenuous or minutia, it 's Christopher Darden during the Simpson trial hands down.

[@tubewatcher38]

6400az Not sure I'm following you.

[@6400az]

tubewatcher38 The word truncated, did you hear it from Howard Cosell...Monday Night Football.

[@ourrightsmatter154]

Back in those days they had loved hitting running backs at their knees

[@MJ-hg1mk]

How's he doing now?

[@g.choppa4448]

Look like some of those guys didnt have face mask on helmet. 😆

[@jamesrinaldi1856]

Larry brown was a carbon copy of gale sayers

[@mickeygrogan2979]

Why cant the NFL Network do a Football Life on guys like this. Instead of guys that just left the game. This coming from a white boy in Alabama

[@6400az]

There are many, but this is one of the worse hit's I've seen. Brown had just crossed the goal line , looked to his left and started his trademark high stepping. He didn't see a lurking Ken Reaves, who snuck up and just unloaded. Brown had to be helped off the field. This is just sick <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="220">3:40</a>

[@fwb41]

And yet...this was all for Entertainment...Brown messed up his knees just so people sitting at home could forget their own lives for a while...by watching him get Pounded on their TV screens...sure, he did it for the money, but what is money compared to physical health? Brown played baseball, too...it might have done his body better to pursue a baseball career instead... When I was a kid...players like Brown and Billy Kilmer were like Greek Gods/Heroes...but when I grew up (and read North Dallas Forty, by Peter Gent) I realized that they were just Entertainers working in an Industry to Make Money..while messing up their bodies, for 'spectator fun'...not quite Roman Gladiators, but not too far behind...along with Boxers.

[@realloud999]

More like he played because of his love for the game, they may be entertainers but they love playing the game☺

[@fwb41]

Tony Bravo You're right about that...why else would he have kept getting up to get pounded again? Still, I remember reading an article in an old Pro Quarterback magazine about the Redskins, and I read where George Allen, the Redskins' coach, wanted to put Brown in his place in 1973, by signing Duane Thomas, former Cowboys running back...the reason Allen signed Thomas was because Brown wanted a salary increase after the 1972 season (Brown won the NFC rushing title, and was named NFL Player Of The Year) so he thought he deserved more money...so Allen brought in Thomas, to 'send a message' to Brown, reminding him that he was 'replaceable'...so this reinforces the fact that the Game...Bottom Line...is Still a Business to Make Money...nothing more.

[@realloud999]

fwb41 veru true

[@realloud999]

fwb41 but tbh even if i loved the game i would want more money because i wouldn't want to be larry brown and be stuck with all of those injuries later in the future

[@fwb41]

Tony Bravo Remember too....in Brown's time, NFL players made No Where Near the money that they make now, so if Brown played today...he would be a hell of a lot richer, when the time came for him to retire.

[@094340]

Hated this guy, killed my Giants every damned time. Should be in the Hall.

[@user-tj9kg6bl1h]

All I know this man should been in the hall a long time ago don't make any sense best back skin's ever had and the new name of the team sucks worse name in the league I don't watch them anymore they don't have any heart anymore like the old days