 Browner in 2007 | |||||||||||||
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| Position | Safety | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1960-05-15)May 15, 1960 (age 65) Warren, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 221 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Warren Western Reserve (Warren, Ohio) Southwest (Atlanta, Georgia) | ||||||||||||
| College | USC (1979–1982) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1983: 1st round, 19th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Joey Matthew Browner (born May 15, 1960) is an American former professionalfootball player who was asafety in theNational Football League (NFL) for theMinnesota Vikings from 1983 to 1991 and for theTampa Bay Buccaneers in 1992. Browner playedcollege football for theUSC Trojans.
Browner attended Western Reserve High inWarren, Ohio for two years but moved for his junior and senior seasons toAtlanta, Georgia, where he attended Southwest High. He was an All Statedefensive lineman as a junior, played basketball with future NBA forwardGerald Wilkins, and ran track and field, qualifying twice for the Ohio State meet.
As a senior, Browner had 120 unassisted tackles and three interceptions, earning Parade All-American Honors as well as the Georgia class 3A lineman of the year. Browner was also named Atlanta Area Player of the Year. After high school, it was generally believed that Browner would follow his three brothers toNotre Dame, but he instead decided on theUniversity of Southern California.
At USC, Browner was the team's Most Valuable Player in 1982. Other members of the Trojan defensive backfield includedDennis Smith, Hall of FamerRonnie Lott, and futureLos Angeles Rams head coachJeff Fisher. Browner also played withAnthony Muñoz,Marcus Allen,Charles White, andPaul McDonald. He was also selected to the first-team All-Pac-10, first-team All-Coast. Browner notched 243 total tackles, nine interceptions, 40 passes defended, seven fumble recoveries, and three touchdown returns in his collegiate career.
His USC teams compiled a 36–8–1 mark. He played in oneRose Bowl Game and oneFiesta Bowl.[1]
Browner, a safety, was selected 19th overall in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings.[2][3][4]
An outstanding defensive player and tackler, Browner was selected to sixPro Bowls (1985–1990) while playing with the Minnesota Vikings. He finished his career with theTampa Bay Buccaneers in 1992.[2] Browner was a four-time member of theJohn Madden "All-Madden Team".
While with the Vikings, Browner travelled to China with the NFL players association in 1988, to Germany with the 1989 USO Tour, and to Paris to kick off the French Federation of American Football Annual Championship game in 1991.
Browner amassed over 1,100 total tackles, caused 18 fumbles, and recovered 16 of them; he also led the Vikings in nine defensive categories over his NFL career.[2]
Browner holds the NFL Pro Bowl record with three fumble recoveries returned for touchdowns. He had 40 interceptions in his career for 505 total yards, including the playoffs.[2]
The Minnesota Vikings placed Browner in the team's Ring of Honor in October 2013 during a Sunday night football game against the Packers. He became the 21st overall selection into the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor that night.[5]
In 2019, theProfessional Football Researchers Association named Browner to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2019.[6]
Browner's family has produced six NFL players: brothersRoss Browner (Cincinnati Bengals &Green Bay Packers),Jim Browner (Cincinnati Bengals), andKeith Browner all played in the NFL, as did Ross's sonMax Starks (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Keith's son,Keith Browner, Jr. (Houston Texans). The Chicago White Sox selected Browner's next eldest brother, Willard, as a pitcher, and he served as the starting tailback for Notre Dame with late brother Ross's teams. His youngest and late brother, Gerald, played at the University of Georgia.[7]
Browner is a member of the 1980s all-star all-decade team, of the NFL Gridiron Legends team along with former Viking teammateCris Carter and the PAC-12 all-century team, also on the EA Sports game,NFL Street 2. Joey Browner was enshrined into the African-American Hall of Fame in 2004 for his work in radio sports broadcasting with his longtime friend Rich Perez in Las Vegas and Hawaii.[8]
Browner has been nominated forPro Football Hall of Fame selection nine times. He is the 21st member of the Ring of Honor and the 17th player in Minnesota Vikings history. Browner was inducted into the "All-Mall of America Field Team" in 2013, which signified the best players who played for the Vikings during their years at the Metrodome/Mall of America Field.