Vikings Mourn the Loss of Ring of Honor Member Joey Browner

Browner played three seasons at cornerback for the Trojans before transitioning to safety for his senior campaign. He finished his collegiate career with nine career interceptions and an impressive 40 pass deflections.

“Intercepting the football was not my main concern,” Browner told reporters. “Making sure that nobody else caught it anytime, anywhere, was.”

Browner went on to solidify a similar reputation in the NFL, where two older brothers and a younger brother also played, establishing a family record for number of brothers to make it to football’s pinnacle level.

His oldest brother, Ross, was a pass rusher for the Bengals from 1978-86 and played 11 games for Green Bay in 1987. The next brother, Jim, played defensive back for Cincinnati in 1979 and 1980. Born less than two years after Joey, Keith Browner, Sr., totaled 65 games with four different teams from 1984-88. Willard played collegiately at Notre Dame. The youngest brother, Gerald, played at Georgia.

“One thing about it is, our parents always wanted us to stay off the streets,” Ross Browner told the Tribune Chronicle in 2016. “[They wanted us] to learn a trade or something that was going to be positive in life, and sports really turned out to be one of those positive things in our life.”

That was evident for Joey, who always showed a nose for the football.

He played in all 16 games as a rookie, snagging a pair of interceptions and recovering four fumbles. He became a full-time starter for the Vikings in 1985, his third season in the league.

Browner garnered six consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 1985-90. Smith tied six Pro Bowls, making five trips from 2015-19 and another after the 2021 season and regularly enjoyed connecting with his predecessor when Browner visited Vikings training camps.

Browner led the Vikings in tackles in 1986 and 1987, helping Minnesota advance to the 1987 NFC Championship Game against Washington. He recorded six interceptions that season and garnered his first of four consecutive All-Pro selections from The Associated Press (First Team in 1987-88 and 1990; Second Team in 1989).

He helped the Vikings produce the NFL’s top-ranked defense (yards allowed) in 1988 and 1989.

Overall, Browner played nine seasons for the Vikings (1983-91) before spending his final season in Tampa Bay. He ranks third in team history for games played by a safety behind Smith (207) and Hall of Famer and six-time Pro Bowler Paul Krause (172).

The Ohio native ranks second in sacks by a Vikings defensive back (9.5) and total tackles (987 according to team stats). His 37 career interceptions rank fifth all-time in franchise history.

When Smith broke a tie with Browner and moved into fourth place against Washington last December, he said Browner “was a guy who helped define what it is to be a safety.”

“We probably had kind of similar games — pretty physical guys, but also could turn the ball over well,” Smith added. “I’ve been fortunate enough to talk to him. Just an honor to be mentioned amongst him.”

Browner was named to the 1980s NFL Team of the Decade, and his six consecutive Pro Bowls rank only behind 11 in a row by Randall McDaniel and seven straight by Ron Yary in franchise lore.

“Joey was one of those players that could transcend any generation of player,” Vikings Ring of Honor linebacker Scott Studwell said in 2013. “He could’ve played today. When he played, he was one of the best at his position.”

In 2013, Browner became the 21^st Legend inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor.

“The Ring of Honor is something that is very special because there are very few of us that are in there,” Browner said. “To be with people like Fran Tarkenton and Jim Marshall … Chris Doleman, John Randle, it’s just a great honor.”