Members
Inductee
BROWN, TIM (TIMMY)
BROWN, TIM (TIMMY)
Born on May 24, 1937
Richmond, Indiana
April 4, 2020
Inducted On
Location Inducted
Ball State University
Region Number
5
Ball State University
Player
Morton Memorial
1955
Named Outstanding Senior Athlete, leading the football team that year in scoring 115 points – more than half of the squad’s total and leading county basketball scoring with 398 points in 23 games for a 17.3 average.
Ball State Teachers College
B.S. in Education
1966
In 1957 and 58 he was named a Little All-American for football. In his last year, he led the Indiana Collegiate Conference (ICC) in rushing and scoring and was second in punting. He was selected as the ICC Outstanding Back and named to the All-ICC first team. He was selected to the Williamson’s All-America Team (college division, second team). For these accomplishments, he received the Ball State Most Valuable Player Award. By the end of his football career at Ball State, he had set six records. In 1957, he set three: best-rushing average in a single game (20.5 years in eight carries) and most net yards rushing in a game (164 yards) – both against Valparaiso – and best-rushing average in a season (10-yard average). In 1958, he also set three records: most rushing attempts in a game, 21 against Wooster; most rushing attempts in a season, 112; and most points scored in a single game, 25 against Illinois State – a record that still stands.
Drafted by Vince Lombardi in his first year as coach of the Green Bay Packers and played 1959-60: Appeared in one regular season game.
Played for the Philadelphia Eagles, 1960-68: Member, Eagles NFL Championship Team, 1960; Led the league in all-purpose yardage in 1962 and, in 1963 he had 2,425 combined yards (rushing, receiving, and kick returns) – a most remarkable feat given the 14-game regular season and playing on a team with a 2-10-2 record; Upon his death on April 4, 2020, he was still the Eagles’ all-time leader in average yards per game (6.52) and still held the team’s record for most kickoff returns (169), most kickoff return yards (4,483), and most kickoff returns for touchdowns (5); The first NFL player in history with at least 100 receiving yards, one touchdown reception and one rushing touchdown in consecutive games, December 11 and 18, 1960 with the Eagles and the first to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game, accomplished in a 24-23 upset over the Dallas Cowboys at Franklin Field in Philadelphia on November 6, 1966; He was a 3-time Pro Bowl selection – 1962, 63, and 65; Inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Honor Roll (later renamed the Eagles Hall of Fame), 1990;Inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, in 2006; Named to the Eagle’s 75th-anniversary all-star team, selected by fans as the team’s greatest kick returner, in 2007; Named Eagles Alumni Captain for the game against the Arizona Cardinals, on December 1, 2013.
Played for the Baltimore Colts, 1968-69: Appeared with the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III on January 12, 1969, at the Orange Bowl, in Miami, against the New York Jets. NFL Films portrayed him as a Renaissance Man of the NFL.
In 1976, Tim was inducted into the Ball State University Athletics Hall of Fame.
He modeled for Botany 500 and Jantzen; recorded five single records in 1962-63; appeared in 14 movies from 1970-2000, including M*A*S*H* (1970) and Nashville (1975) and more than 20 sitcoms between 1967-90, including M*A*S*H* first six episodes (1970), an episode of the Mary Tyler More Show (1970); and three episodes of Adam-12 (1970-71); sports commentator; and Los Angeles County Probation Officer, working with youth gang members and adult offenders, 1990-2000. Los Angeles County Probation Department: On April 22, 1987, during Youth of America Week ’86, he was recognized as volunteer of the year. This led to a 10-year career with the department, from 1990-2000.
