College Hall of Famer Tom Brown, a Minnesota great, dies at 89

Field Level Media|published: Wed 18th March, 21:32 2026

Nov 26, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; A Minnesota Golden Gophers helmet sits on the sidelines during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Tom Brown, the Minnesota two-way standout whose 1960 season remains one of the defining years for a lineman in college football history, died March 12 at age 89.

Brown played guard and on defense for the Golden Gophers from 1958-60 and became the rare interior lineman who didn't just anchor a championship team, he helped drive it. Minnesota went from the bottom of the Big Ten the year before to a national title and a Rose Bowl berth in 1960, with Brown at the center of everything.

"Tom Brown was a dominant player on the field, but just as important, he carried himself with humility and took great pride in wearing the Maroon and Gold," National Football Foundation chairman Archie Manning said in a statement. "His 1960 season remains one of the greatest ever by a lineman, and his place in the NFF College Football Hall of Fame is a testament to his remarkable achievements."

That year, Brown earned unanimous first-team All-America honors, won the Outland Trophy as the nation's top lineman and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting -- still the highest finish for an interior lineman.

Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003, he later built an equally respected pro resume in the Canadian Football League with the B.C. Lions from 1961-67, including a Grey Cup championship in 1964, and was enshrined in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1984.

--Field Level Media