Hardy Brown was an American football linebacker in the National Football League, All-America Football Conference, and the American Football League.
11 Facts About Hardy Brown
1.
2.
Hardy Brown played college football at the University of Tulsa and then professionally for the San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, and the Denver Broncos.
3.
Hardy Brown was one of only two men who played in the AAFC, NFL, and the AFL.
4.
When Brown was four years old, he witnessed the murder of his father.
5.
Hardy Brown was then sent, along with his brothers and sisters, to live at the Texas Masonic Home, an orphanage for the children of deceased Freemasons in Fort Worth, Texas.
6.
At the Masonic Home, Hardy Brown became friends with Tex Coulter.
7.
Hardy Brown was a standout football player for the Mighty Mites, leading them to the state semi-finals his senior year.
8.
Hardy Brown then enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving as a Paramarine during the Second World War, before playing football at Tulsa and eventually professionally.
9.
Hardy Brown became known as one of the roughest defensive players in the game, knocking out numerous opponents with his trademark shoulder push.
10.
Hardy Brown had this knack, this technique of slamming a shoulder into a running back's face; to this day I don't know how he did it.
11.
Hardy Brown died in 1991 in a mental institution after suffering from dementia, emphysema, and arthritis in his right shoulder so bad he couldn't lift his arm to scratch his head.