Jerome Brown
Encyclopedia
Willie Jerome Brown III (February 4, 1965 – June 25, 1992) was an American football
defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles
of the National Football League
. He played his entire five-year NFL career with the Eagles from 1987
to 1991
, before his death just before the 1992 season
. He was selected to two Pro Bowls in 1990
and 1991
. He played college football
at the University of Miami
.
at the University of Miami
, where he was a standout player for one of college football's most successful and perhaps its most dominant program. He graduated from the university in 1987.
, at a promotional Fiesta Bowl
dinner with the Penn State
team, Brown led a walkout by the Miami players. Leading the walkout, he asked: "Did the Japan
ese go sit down and have dinner with Pearl Harbor
before they bombed them?" Brown and his teammates felt that the Penn State players had disrespected them by openly mocking Miami's coach, Jimmy Johnson
, at a pre-game banquet. Penn State beat the heavily-favored Hurricanes 14-10, and were declared National Champions.
Days earlier, Brown and fellow University of Miami players drew even greater national controversy when each were seen deplaning a chartered University of Miami plane at Phoenix
's Sky Harbor International Airport, wearing BDUs
.
in the first round (ninth overall) of the 1987 NFL Draft
by the Philadelphia Eagles
. During his five-year professional career with the Eagles, he was twice selected to the Pro Bowl
(in 1990 and 1991).
, in which both he and his nephew, Gus, were killed when Brown lost control of his ZR1 Chevrolet Corvette
at high speed and crashed into a utility pole. Brown was buried in Brooksville, Florida
. In 2000, the Jerome Brown Community Center was opened in memory of Brown.
Brown's son, Dee Brown (born 1982), plays professional baseball as an outfielder for the Winnipeg Goldeyes
.
, prior to the Eagles' first game of the 1992 season
. After his death, Eagles players and fans started the unofficial motto, "Bring it home for Jerome," an indirect reference among Eagles fans to bringing a Super Bowl
title to the city in Brown's honor. A sign of the fondness with which Eagles fans continue to view Brown, the saying has continued to this day, nearly 20 years following his death.
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...
defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of 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...
. He played his entire five-year NFL career with the Eagles from 1987
1987 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1987 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 55th in the league. The team improved upon their previous output of 5–10–1, winning seven games. Despite the improvement, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs.-NFL Draft:...
to 1991
1991 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1991 Philadelphia Eagles season resulted in missing the postseason, despite having a 10–6 record and finishing with the top-ranked defense in the NFL. During Week 1, quarterback Randall Cunningham was lost for the season with a knee injury....
, before his death just before the 1992 season
1992 NFL season
The 1992 NFL season was the 73rd regular season of the National Football League.Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew, the New England Patriots–Miami Dolphins game that was scheduled for September 6 at Joe Robbie Stadium was rescheduled to October 18. Both teams originally had that...
. He was selected to two Pro Bowls in 1990
1991 Pro Bowl
The 1991 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 3, 1991 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final Score was AFC 23, NFC 21. There were 50,345 people in attendance. Jim Kelly of the Buffalo Bills was the game's MVP. The referee was Gordon McCarter....
and 1991
1992 Pro Bowl
The 1992 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 2, 1992 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final Score was NFC 21, AFC 15. Michael Irvin of the Dallas Cowboys was the game's MVP....
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
.
University of Miami career
Brown played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, where he was a standout player for one of college football's most successful and perhaps its most dominant program. He graduated from the university in 1987.
1987 Fiesta Bowl controversies
Among his more notable moments as a Miami player, five days before the 1987 Fiesta Bowl1987 Fiesta Bowl
The 1987 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game sponsored by Sunkist. It was part of the bowl season of the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. The game was the 16th edition of the Fiesta Bowl, played annually since 1971. The 1987 game was played on January 2, 1987, at the Sun...
, at a promotional Fiesta Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
dinner with the Penn State
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
team, Brown led a walkout by the Miami players. Leading the walkout, he asked: "Did the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese go sit down and have dinner with Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
before they bombed them?" Brown and his teammates felt that the Penn State players had disrespected them by openly mocking Miami's coach, Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)
James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
, at a pre-game banquet. Penn State beat the heavily-favored Hurricanes 14-10, and were declared National Champions.
Days earlier, Brown and fellow University of Miami players drew even greater national controversy when each were seen deplaning a chartered University of Miami plane at Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
's Sky Harbor International Airport, wearing BDUs
Battle Dress Uniform
The Battle Dress Uniform were the fatigues that the armed forces of the United States used as their standard uniform for combat situations from September 1981 to April 2005. Since then, it has been replaced in every branch of the U.S. military. Only the U.S. Navy currently authorizes wear of the...
.
Philadelphia Eagles
Brown was draftedNFL 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...
in the first round (ninth overall) of the 1987 NFL Draft
1987 NFL Draft
The 1987 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1987...
by the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. During his five-year professional career with the Eagles, he was twice selected 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...
(in 1990 and 1991).
Death and legacy
Brown died on June 25, 1992, at the age of 27, following an automobile accident in Brooksville, FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, in which both he and his nephew, Gus, were killed when Brown lost control of his ZR1 Chevrolet Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
at high speed and crashed into a utility pole. Brown was buried in Brooksville, Florida
Brooksville, Florida
Brooksville is an incorporated city in Hernando County, Florida, in the United States. It is the county seat of Hernando County. It is a suburban city included in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. In 2000, the Jerome Brown Community Center was opened in memory of Brown.
Brown's son, Dee Brown (born 1982), plays professional baseball as an outfielder for the Winnipeg Goldeyes
Winnipeg Goldeyes
The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a professional baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in Canada. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From 1994 to 2010, the team was a member of the Northern League.The...
.
"Bring it home for Jerome"
Brown's jersey number (#99) was retired by the Eagles on September 6, 1992, in an emotional pre-game ceremony at Veterans StadiumVeterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
, prior to the Eagles' first game of the 1992 season
1992 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1992 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 60th in the league. The team improved upon their previous output of 10–6, winning eleven games and qualifying for the playoffs.-Offseason:...
. After his death, Eagles players and fans started the unofficial motto, "Bring it home for Jerome," an indirect reference among Eagles fans to bringing a Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
title to the city in Brown's honor. A sign of the fondness with which Eagles fans continue to view Brown, the saying has continued to this day, nearly 20 years following his death.