Joey Browner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Warren, Ohio, U.S.
 Browner in 2007 | |||||||||||||
| No. 47 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Safety | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | May 15, 1960 Warren, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | March 28, 2026 (aged 65) | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 221 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school |
| ||||||||||||
| College | USC (1979–1982) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1983: 1st round, 19th overall | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Joey Matthew Browner (May 15, 1960 – March 28, 2026) was an American professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota Vikings from 1983 to 1991 and for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1992. Browner played college football for the USC Trojans.
Browner attended Western Reserve High in Warren, Ohio, for two years but moved for his junior and senior seasons to Atlanta, Georgia, where he attended Southwest High. He was an All State defensive lineman as a junior, played basketball with future NBA forward Gerald 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 to Notre Dame, but he instead decided on the University of Southern California.
College career
At USC, Browner was the team's Most Valuable Player in 1982. Other members of the Trojan defensive backfield included Dennis Smith, Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, and future Los Angeles Rams head coach Jeff Fisher. Browner also played with Anthony Muñoz, Marcus Allen, Charles White, and Paul 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 one Rose Bowl Game and one Fiesta Bowl.[1]
Professional career
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 six Pro Bowls (1985–1990) while playing with the Minnesota Vikings. He finished his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1992.[2] Browner was a four-time member of the John 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, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Browner to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2019.[6]