Tom Brown

Thomas William Brown (December 12, 1940 – April 24, 2025) was an American professional football and baseball player. He won three consecutive National Football League (NFL) championships with the Green Bay Packers. He was the first athlete to both play baseball in the major leagues and appear in a Super Bowl.

Brown played both college football and baseball for the Maryland Terrapins. In 1963, he played baseball professionally for the Washington Senators of the American League, before becoming a defensive back in the NFL for six seasons with the Packers and Washington Redskins.

Early life and education Brown was born in Laureldale, Pennsylvania, on December 12, 1940. He attended Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. As a junior for the Terrapins, Brown was named a first-team baseball All-American and set an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) record with a .449 batting average. In his senior year in 1962, he was an honorable mention All-American in football while recording an ACC-record 11 interceptions.

Brown played in the outfield and at first base for the Senators in 1963. A switch hitter who threw left-handed, he played extremely well in spring training, batting .312, and earned a spot on the major league team. Brown batted .161 in spring training and was sent down to York 48 hours before the Senators' opening day.

Professional football Brown played defensive back for the Packers from 1964 through 1968. He was part of the Packers' unprecedented three consecutive NFL titles under head coach Vince Lombardi, which concluded with victories in Super Bowls I and II. Brown played in only one game for the Redskins, their 1969 opener against New Orleans, and then had shoulder surgery. He was waived by the team in late August 1970, He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings but released a month later.

Brown died in Palm Harbor, Florida on April 24, 2025, (Many breaking news sources mislabeled his date of death as April 23, 2025.)