Robert Brazile





GSUperTiger said:
That is a nice story especially the Troy State story. Even today I think 10% of all HOFs are from HBCUs.
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That's roughly about right (29 out of 303 came from HBCUs which puts it a lil under 10%). And I think when you think about the ones that are still not in (Brazile, Greenwood, Jackson, Walls, Mathis, etc.) that percentage should be safe for a while.
 
This is an article that I remember reading in the Birmingham New dated 6/12/05, in recognition of Robert Brazile's induction into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (ASHOF). Many of the facts are mentioned in the piece above with a few extra details and gems. Due to the length of the article this will be part 1.

After terrorizing NFL quarterbacks, ASHOF inductee Robert Brazile now spends time keeping kids on track
By DOUG SEGREST
News staff writer

At the peak of his NFL career, Robert Brazile, Jr. was known as "Dr. Doom." The Houston Oilers linebacker didn't pursue opposing quarterbacks. He terrorized.
Now days, Brazile is a gentle giant of a man who only returns to fear tactics when one of his inner-city middle school kids goes astray.

"Most athletes invest in a business," said the 52-year-old Brazile. "But when you teach, you invest in kids. If I can keep one kid out of the jailhouse, I've done something worthwhile."

The No. 6 pick of the Oilers in the 1975 draft, Brazile was named the AFC's Defensive Rookie of the Year and made nine Pro Bowl appearances in 10 years. But at the top of his game, making $1 million a season,
Brazile walked away from football. Brazile's first wife, Cookie, was killed in a car accident in 1984, leaving him to raise his son, Robert III, alone. "I loved Houston, I loved what I did, but I had to make a change. I had
a son to raise and I needed to be with family."

A Mobile native, Brazile returned home. His old Oilers coach, Bum Phillips, made one final offer after moving to New Orleans, asking Brazile to join him there-even if he commuted two hours. Instead, he told Phillips no.
The next step was finding something to do. "When I moved back to Mobile, I needed to stay busy,"Brazile said. "I needed to be a father to my son. But I also realized I could be a father to others. "The first job I found was as a teacher's
aid. They give me six troubled kids and told me to straighten them out." He's been straightening out kids for 20 years now. He's dabbled in coaching, including a stint during Vigor's state championship run in the late 1980's. But with each
generation of children, his past becomes more elusive until a spark re-ignites. For Black History Week, one of his students decided to do a report on Brazile's NFL career, then made the comparison to another linebacker who wears Brazile's
same jersey number, 52, and came up with Ray Lewis-the "Dr. Doom" of the modern era. "He concluded I was better than Ray Lewis," said Brazile, beaming.

Room full of talent

Brazile played at Vigor High School in Prichard in the turbulent 1960's. He was only one of six black students at the school, so most days were spent walking on eggshells aware of the volatile things happening at schools across the South.
When colleges came recruiting. Alabama and Auburn showed cursory interest. The rivals were beginning to integrate their football programs. Meanwhile, Troy State made its intentions clear. Brazile initially signed with Troy, but on a spring
recruiting visit with his mother and father, the three came across a dormitory courtyard filled with coeds sunning in bikinis. "My mother looked at me and said, "This place is dangerous. We have to find you somewhere else." Brazile ended up
at Jackson State, the Southwestern Athletic Conference power. It wasn't a bad consolation prize. He had made a pact with a Vigor High teammate, Rickey Young, to play together in college. The two Vigor products were assigned a room with another freshman, a precocious Mississippi running back everyone else called "Sweetness." Brazile called the young man, last name of Payton, by his given first name. "I can honestly say I slept with two of the best running backs in the NFL, Brazile joked. "At one
point, Rickey (as a Minnesota Viking) led the NFL in pass receptions, Walter led the NFL in rushing, and I led the league in sacks."

Years later, Alabama coach Bear Bryant ran into Jackson State coach Bob Hill at a function in Mississippi. "Coach Bryant told him, 'Coach Hill, you got one of my boys, Robert Brazile. I sent someone else to recruit him. Never send a boy to do
a man's job."
..........................
 
Dr. Doom was way ahead of his time. Watched him play as a kid and he was awesome. What is taking him so long to get in? And this is coming from people that claim to know Football. If they did, he would have been in years ago. Great LB that no one talks about.
 
(This is the second part of the article above from the Birmingham News dated 6/12/05 about Robert Brazile upon his induction into the ASHOF by staff writer DOUG SEGREST)

Long overdue

Brazile's induction into the Alabama hall is long overdue. He's already a member of the SWAC's All-Century team and Hall of Fame. The Senior Bowl inducted him into its Hall of Fame a decade ago. He still holds hope of getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In 1988, Brazile visited the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame with his players at Vigor, who were in Birmingham for the Class 6A state championship game. "As we were walking out the door, I prayed for two things:
a state championship and to one day get in here," Brazile said. "Now both dreams have come true."

He almost didn't live to see the day.

Last January, Brazile was taking a walk with his second wife, Brenda, Three-tenths of a mile in, he was soaked in sweat as if he'd run three miles. When they returned home for breakfast, the discomfort had turned
into severe pains in his chest. "I looked at Brenda and said, 'Baby, you need to get me to the doctor." Brazile underwent quadruple bypass surgery... Three days later, he was back outside running.

He's a father of six now: his son, a daughter from a high school relationship and Brenda's four children. All six have graduated from college, with careers ranging from entomology to nursing.The entire clan, plus his
mother and father, former college teammate and Vigor coach James Perrine and members of the Tennessee Titans front office will be with him tonight as he's honored. Last year, he attended the ceremony alone,
sitting in the back, soaking it all in.

"Now, I'm here, and when I look around this place I feel lucky to be included," he said. "When you look at so many of the athletes this state has produced, I can't believe I'm a part of it.

"I'm floating on air."
 



Brazile came to JSU in 1971, I would be surprised if Troy had any Black players that year, I believe Alabama was the first SEC school to recruit a Black player in 1970.
 
MetroPhillyTiger said:
For Alcornites (or whoever knows), did that undefeated Alcorn team from 70s beat JSU with Payton & Brazile?
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Nope! JSU's Defense stood tall on a Goal line stand on 4th down from the 1 with only seconds remaining in the game and won AT ALCORN with a final score of 19-13! Brazile said it was the only game where he looked over to the sidelines for help. JSU's long-time SID said that November 1974 game in Lorman was the greatest college football game he had ever seen!
 
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Mace said:
Nope! JSU's Defense stood tall on a Goal line stand on 4th down from the 1 with only seconds remaining in the game and won AT ALCORN with a final score of 19-13! Brazile said it was the only game where he looked over to the sidelines for help. JSU's long time SID said that November 1974 game in Lorman was the greatest college football game he had ever seen!
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I heard that game on the radio. Alcorn ran Augusta Lee 4 times inside the 10 yard line. Brazile was in on every tackle. On 4th and goal on the 1 Lee tried to leap the over the pile and Brazile met him in the air and drove him back.

At lease that's how I remember it.:):)
 
Hey Que said:
I heard that game on the radio. Alcorn ran Augusta Lee 4 times inside the 10 yard line. Brazile was in on every tackle. On 4th and goal on the 1 Lee tried to leap the over the pile and Brazile met him in the air and drove him back.

At lease that's how I remember it.
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You are correct! I remember talking to Coach Gorden a few years ago about that game and he told me that based on their scouting they know Lee was gonna try to go over the top (because he was a "leaper") and he exactly what was anticipated and the linebacker's were ready! The late Jack Spinks for whom Alcorn's stadium was named was an Alcorn assistant coach at the time and almost got ejected from the game after he went after a Referee over a play or a TD that he apparantly disagreed with! Lol
 
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Was Slater on that team too? That would have been amazing to watch games of a team with three NFL HOL players on it. Hope they archived the films someplace.
 
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