Raymond Madison Brown (January 12, 1949 – October 26, 2023) was an American professional football player who was a

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played college football at West Texas State which is now known as West Texas A&M University. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round of the

1971 NFL Draft The 1971 National Football League draft was held January 28–29, 1971, at the Belmont Plaza Hotel in New York City, New York. The Boston Patriots, who did not officially change their name to New England Patriots until after the draft, used th ...

. In 1973, Brown led the Falcons with six interceptions. He then played for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

from 1978 to 1980. After the end of his football career, Brown began a construction and remodeling business in 1983, which he ran until 2016. Brown and his wife, Linda, were married for 49 years and had four children. Brown died from complications of dementia and lung cancer at his home in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...

, on October 26, 2023, at the age of 74.

References

1949 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century African-American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century African-American businesspeople American construction businesspeople African-American players of American football American football cornerbacks American football safeties Atlanta Falcons players Deaths from dementia in Georgia (U.S. state) Deaths from lung cancer in Georgia (U.S. state) New Orleans Saints players Players of American football from Fort Worth, Texas West Texas A&M Buffaloes football players {{defensiveback-1940s-stub