RIP "Old Man Willie" Brown

[HanSenSE]

Header written to not confuse the legendary Raiders cornerback with the former mayor of San Francisco and long-time state assemblyman, as well as to pay tribute to the late Bill King's call in the Super Bowl victory over the Vikings.

Raiders legend and Hall of Fame cornerback Willie Brown dies at age 78 | NBCS Bay Area

 

[DanielSimpsonDay]

forever

 

[HanSenSE]

Gotta add the King call. Although it sounds like they started with Curt Gowdy ...

 

[mpcincal]

forever

To echo the view of many, NFL Films was just the best.

 

[DanOregon]

One of the reasons outdoor Super Bowls are the best. NFL Films does magic with natural light. Watching Raider DBs the other day makes me miss Brown even more. Maybe they were paying tribute with a "missing man" formation.

RIP Willie - I'm sure Snake, Tooz, and others from the Soul Patrol will be greeting you warmly.

 

[Batman]

Watching Raider DBs the other day makes me miss Brown even more. Maybe they were paying tribute with a "missing man" formation.

They've been doing that tribute for the last 17 years.

 

[DanOregon]

The Raiders haven't had much luck finding DBs or ILBs in the draft in 30 years with the exception of Asomouga and Charles Woodson.

 

[mpcincal]

Man, I just remembered: Brown was also the final head football coach for Long Beach State. George Allen died after his first and only season leading the 49ers, and they hired Brown as coach for the 1991 season, after which the school dropped football.

 

[Scout]

The music... the slow motion... the lighting... the look on his face...

 

[DanOregon]

I remember as a kid seeing Willie get that moment - he was a year away from retirement at the time, seemed like that play was for all the Raiders and fans who endured the playoff failures of the previous six years.

 

[CD Boogie]

The Raiders haven't had much luck finding DBs or ILBs in the draft in 30 years with the exception of Asomouga and Charles Woodson.

Or QBs, WRs, RBs, OL, DL...

But don't **** with them on P and PK

 

[DanOregon]

It's weird because they've drafted 13 DBs in the first round since 1980 - only Asomugha and Woodson went to Pro Bowls. Didnt realize they didn't have a first rounder between '76 and '79, Ted Hendricks was two of those (worth it), Monte Jackson another (not).

Makes me think that while QB "busts" get more attention, that position has about the same bust rate as any other position - but is just elevated because teams have a tendency to "reach" on QBs drafting them higher that their ability in relation to other players in the draft.

 

[maumann]

That clip reminds me how good Bill King was and how most people outside of the Bay Area wouldn't recognize him.

We were spoiled by the voices on Bay Area radio during the golden age: Lon Simmons, Al Michaels, Bill King, Don Klein, Joe Starkey, Roy Storey. (And then there was Monte Moore.) For how good Bill was with the Raiders and Warriors, he was just as excellent doing baseball and even hockey. There's an audio check of a young Bill King and Roy doing a San Francisco Seals WHL playoff game circa 1962-64 somewhere on the Interwebs that just amazes me.

 

[DanOregon]

I still think King was best at hoops. Was he the last announcer to do radio play by play and get rings for a Super Bowl, a World Series and NBA Champion?

 

[Michael_ Gee]

I still think King was best at hoops. Was he the last announcer to do radio play by play and get rings for a Super Bowl, a World Series and NBA Champion?

I lived in Oakland for one year (3/73-3/74) and I still think King was the best basketball play-by-play radio guy I've ever heard (Mike Gorman is best for TV).

 

[ChrisLong]

Man, I just remembered: Brown was also the final head football coach for Long Beach State. George Allen died after his first and only season leading the 49ers, and they hired Brown as coach for the 1991 season, after which the school dropped football.

George Allen never coached a team that finished with a losing record. That year, the 49ers were 5-5 going into the last game on a chilly night in Long Beach. They won to keep his record intact. They celebrated and dumped the Gatorade bucket on him. He caught a cold and died from it.

 

[CD Boogie]

George Allen never coached a team that finished with a losing record. That year, the 49ers were 5-5 going into the last game on a chilly night in Long Beach. They won to keep his record intact. They celebrated and dumped the Gatorade bucket on him. He caught a cold and died from it.

Karma for all his ****ing cheating.

jk. BTW, "Allen's son George denied that the Gatorade shower caused the death, attributing it to an existing heart arrythmia. He stated that seeing Gatorade showers on television was a reminder that his father "went out a winner".[18]"

A Splashy Football Tradition, Gatorade Style

 

[HanSenSE]

That clip reminds me how good Bill King was and how most people outside of the Bay Area wouldn't recognize him.

We were spoiled by the voices on Bay Area radio during the golden age: Lon Simmons, Al Michaels, Bill King, Don Klein, Joe Starkey, Roy Storey. (And then there was Monte Moore.) For how good Bill was with the Raiders and Warriors, he was just as excellent doing baseball and even hockey. There's an audio check of a young Bill King and Roy doing a San Francisco Seals WHL playoff game circa 1962-64 somewhere on the Interwebs that just amazes me.

Google the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame.

 

[mpcincal]

Karma for all his ****ing cheating.

jk. BTW, "Allen's son George denied that the Gatorade shower caused the death, attributing it to an existing heart arrythmia. He stated that seeing Gatorade showers on television was a reminder that his father "went out a winner".[18]"

A Splashy Football Tradition, Gatorade Style

I just finished reading Jeff Pearlman's book on the USFL. Outside of Trump and a couple other USFL owners, Allen probably comes off the worst out of it. While in the league, he did a lot of shady stuff in the name of "gamesmanship."

 

[CD Boogie]

I just finished reading Jeff Pearlman's book on the USFL. Outside of Trump and a couple other USFL owners, Allen probably comes off the worst out of it. While in the league, he did a lot of shady stuff in the name of "gamesmanship."

I read that book last winter. Very entertaining and, yeah, that's where I came away with that impression of Allen. He was dirty.