Bill Brown (football)

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Bill Brown
Date of birth	June 29, 1938
Place of birth	Mendota, Illinois
Position(s)	RB
College	Illinois
Pro Bowls	4
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1961 1962-1974	Chicago Bears Minnesota Vikings

For other persons named Bill or William Brown, see William Brown

Bill Brown (born June 29, 1938 in Mendota, Illinois) is a former American football player. Brown was a running back in the National Football League for 14 seasons, including 13 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, and was named to the Pro Bowl four times.

Brown attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At Illinois, Brown was an All-Big Ten fullback, and also won the Big Ten shot put title and set an Illinois record with a toss of 54 feet, 10.5 inches.

A second round choice of the Chicago Bears in the 1961 NFL Draft, Brown was traded to the Vikings before the 1962 NFL season, for a fourth-round draft pick in the 1964 NFL Draft. Brown played for the Vikings for 13 seasons, and was named to the Pro Bowl after the 1964, 1965, 1967, and 1968 NFL seasons, earning the nickname "Boom-Boom" for his reckless, and often violent, running style.

Brown holds many Vikings team records. Brown holds Vikings records for most games played by a running back (182), most consecutive games played by a running back (101), and most games started by a running back (111). He ranks third for career rushing yards (5,757), trailing only Robert Smith (6,818) and Chuck Foreman (5,879). Brown holds the team record for career rushing attempts (1627), and is tied for the team record in rushing touchdowns (52). He ranks fourth in career points scored (456), behind Fred Cox, Fuad Reveiz, and Cris Carter. Brown's combined rushing and receiving yards (9237) ranks third, behind Darrin Nelson and Cris Carter.