Juneteenth Special: The Story of Ball State's Timmy Brown

By Hayden Hamrick | Athletic Communications Student Assistant

            Juneteenth serves as the annual celebration of the emancipation of all enslaved people across the United States on June 19, 1865.
            June 19 is a day to honor black heritage and recognize all that Black Americans have had to endure throughout history, but also a day that resonates as a vow of freedom and opportunity.       Speaking of the Juneteenth meaning as it pertains to his life in the 21st century, Ball State linebacker Keionte Newson tried to imagine being among the oppressed during those June days of 1865: "I could imagine everyone that was enslaved at the time was just so happy that they can live happy and free – and that's something that I feel like God put me on Earth to do is be happy and free. My life would have been so much different."
            "I try to take this day and learn more about my past, and the history of African-Americans, their trials and triumphs, and everything they've been through. I try to learn and educate myself on some of the history that I hadn't learned in school about Black and African-American history."
            On his way to becoming a high school football star in Tennessee, Newson developed a respect for Black history and influential Black athletes who paved the way for his own success. Newson's education, and respect for Juneteenth and its meaning, are important values that can help lift our culture and respect for one another.
            As Americans gather to celebrate a monumental day in our country's history, Ball State football celebrates the federal holiday by looking back at the life and career of one of its most prominent Black players in Cardinal football's 100-year history, Timmy Brown – who was regarded as being the Philadelphia Eagles' first Black superstar.
            Brown, who faced his own share of racial discrimination and disadvantage, is an inspiring story of overcoming odds and creating his own opportunities during our country's time of civil unrest in the 1950s and 60s. As his career progressed, he spoke of racial and social discourse as a Black man. After entering the NFL, he told stories of conflict and difficulty negotiating contracts as a Black athlete.

TIMMY BROWN: Children's Home and His Youth
            Born in Richmond, Indiana, in 1937, Brown was one of six siblings who grew up in a household filled with fond memories and a loving family. At 8 years old, Brown was a music enthusiast with a natural singing voice, and dreams of one day becoming a singer himself.
            It was also by the time Brown was 8 that those fond memories with his family would come to an end. In 1944 Brown's father, John Brown Sr., enlisted in the Army, leaving his family and forcing Brown's mother, Juanita, to take care of their six children by herself. When Brown's father returned home in 1946 family life was far from what it was before and the couple divorced.
            When it became evident that neither parent was capable of caring for the six children, they became wards of the Wayne County Department of Public Welfare and taken to the Wayne County Jail for two days.
            "I kept everything within myself. I never said anything," Brown said about the divorce. "I wanted my family because I was a little boy that needed a family."
            Brown and his siblings would live with their grandfather until his abusive treatment of the children caused members of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church to help move them to better homes. Brown and his older brother, John "Buddy" Brown Jr., moved together to their new home; all the other children were separated.
            In the few years that followed, the two brothers were passed around different families, facing questionable living conditions, before being enrolled in the Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's Home in Knightstown, Indiana, in 1950.
            At the home, Brown lived in a segregated division and endured harsh military academy-like living conditions. Brown also began playing on the freshman football team at Morton Memorial High School in 1951. He had an uncertain interest in football because of the harsh physicality of the sport. He would fake injuries during his freshman season, however he eventually stopped due to the embarrassment he would receive from his father.
            In the following seasons Brown started to take the game more seriously and began to excel, becoming a major factor in the Tigers' success, finishing the 1953-54 season with a 6-0-1 record.
            Brown's senior season saw a new head coach who relied heavily on Brown to look over the team's roster and game plans. The team went on to win a conference title, and Brown scored a total of 115 points, over half of the team's total for the season.

TIMMY BROWN: Ball State Teacher's College
            Even with his impressive performance on the field, Brown received only one football scholarship from Michigan State. Brown did however receive a total of 15 scholarship offers to play basketball, but he only had his sights and intentions set on playing for one place, Ball State Teachers College in Muncie, Indiana, just 36 miles north of Knightstown.
            Although he was initially recruited to Ball State to play basketball, Brown had more of a liking for football due to the incomparable thrill he got from avoiding defenders that were trying to chase him down. Brown joined the Cardinals team in 1955, but sat on the bench for a majority of the season.
            Life on campus was difficult for Brown in the beginning. Before becoming a star athlete, Brown found it challenging to be accepted by the other students. Black students at the college chastised and alienated Brown for dressing and talking like a white person which originated from growing up in predominantly white homes and orphanages.
            "I remained a loner, because I thought I should be accepted for me. Not because I excelled in sports," Brown stated in an interview with Black Sports.
            Brown abstained from listening to the noise and instead kept to himself for the most part, focusing on athletics over anything else. Brown moved up to varsity in 1956 and led the team in rushing and scoring without a starting position.
            Shockingly though, Brown was deemed ineligible and expelled for his poor scholastic record in March 1957. He was readmitted later in the spring, with the condition that his cumulative grade-point average remain above a 2.0.
            In 1957, Brown suffered a shoulder separation and a knee injury which hampered his playing in several games. Even with these injuries Brown tallied impressive numbers, once again leading the team in rushing and scoring. Brown also ranked fourth in Indiana Collegiate Conference scoring along with making the All-ICC first team.
            Frustrations grew between Brown and head coach Jim Freeman in the offseason of 1957 over Freeman's lack of chances given to Brown and other Black players on the team. Brown nearly quit the team to focus on his degree. Assistant coach Ray Louthen convinced him to stay, on the condition that he only communicated through Louthen.
            Brown had his most successful season with the Cardinals during his senior year in 1958. While being named an All-American, Brown was the holder of six Cardinal records by the time he finished his collegiate career. After 66 years, Brown still remains the record holder for most points scored in a single game with 25 against Illinois State on Sept. 20, 1958.
            Brown was elected into the inaugural class of the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1976.

TIMMY BROWN: From Lombardi to Eagles' Stardom
            With initial plans to play professionally in Canada, Brown was selected in the 27th round of the 1959 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.
            Brown's time with Green Bay was extremely brief. Vince Lombardi, who was a first-year head coach at the time, was shifting the laughable, small-market Packers to become a future powerhouse in the NFL. That future however, did not include Brown. In the first game of the regular season in 1959, Brown was sent in to hold the ball off a snap for a field goal attempt, which he dropped, and was then released the next day.
            With his career in the NFL seemingly over, Brown returned to Ball State to finish his degree when he received a telegram from Vince McNally, general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles. McNally was impressed by Brown's performance against the Eagles in an exhibition game in 1959 and invited him to join the Eagles' taxi squad.
            Hesitant at first, Brown came back to football and joined the Eagles' active roster just before the start of the 1960 season. At the end of his first full season as a pro, the Eagles finished at the top of their division and went on to defeat the Packers for the league championship. This was the only title game loss Lombardi faced during his time with Green Bay.
            In the season opener against the Cleveland Browns in 1961, Brown became a fan favorite after taking the opening kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown. Brown also ended up leading the NFL in kickoff returns in 1961 and 1963. In his first season as a starter in 1962, Brown led the NFL in all-purpose yards and proceeded to do it again in 1963.
            As part of the Eagles, Brown made All-Pro in 1963 and 1965 and played in three pro bowls in 1962, 1963 and 1965. Brown would go on to play his final season with the Baltimore Colts, playing in Super Bowl III in 1969 in a losing effort to the New York Jets.
            The Eagles and Philadelphia inducted Brown into the Eagles Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. Brown was later recognized by the Eagles as part of their 75th anniversary team.

TIMMY BROWN: Actor and Entertainer
            After retirement, Brown transitioned into a full-time acting career, making appearances in films like M*A*S*H, Dynamite Brothers, Black Gunn and others. He played the role of Dr. Oliver Wendell "Spearchucker" Jones in the first season of the M*A*S*H television series. Brown also dabbled in the music world, releasing six R&B singles.
            In his later years, Brown resided in Palm Springs, California, where he died on April 4, 2020, at the age of 82.

Juneteenth Special: The Story of Ball State's Timmy Brown

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