Robert Lorenzo Brazile Jr. (born February 7, 1953) is an American former professional
football player who was a
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
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). Nicknamed "Dr. Doom", Brazile played from 1975 to 1984 for the
Houston Oilers
The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...
and was elected to the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...
in 2018.
Professional career
Brazile was taken with the sixth pick of the first round of the
1975 NFL Draft
The 1975 National Football League draft was held January 28–29, 1975, at the New York Hilton at Rockefeller Center in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected quarterback Steve Bartkows ...
. It was part of the bounty
Sid Gillman
Sidney Gillman (October 26, 1911 – January 3, 2003) was an American football player, coach and executive. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or w ...
acquired along with
Curley Culp
Curley Culp (March 10, 1946 – November 27, 2021) was an American football defensive lineman who was a defensive tackle in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona State Unive ...
when he traded
John Matuszak
John Daniel Matuszak (October 25, 1950 – June 17, 1989) was an American football defensive end in the National Football League who later became an actor.
Matuszak was the first overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft and played most of his career ...
to the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The ...
. However, it would be new head coach/general manager
Bum Phillips
Oail Andrew "Bum" Phillips Jr. (September 29, 1923 – October 18, 2013) was an American football coach at the high school, college and professional levels. He served as head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers fro ...
who made the selection.
Phillips' arrival in Houston also brought a change in the base defense the Oilers ran, switching from a
4-3 to a
3-4. The 3-4 would prove to be a perfect fit for Brazile's combination of size (6'4", 230 lbs) and great speed. While most cite
Lawrence Taylor as the prototype of the pass-rushing outside linebacker in the NFL, there are some, including Phillips, who say Brazile was the one who first made the 3-4 popular for sending an outside linebacker to rush the quarterback. Brazile also performed well in pass coverage and against the run, consistently ranking at or near the top for the team lead in tackles even though opponents often avoided his side of the field.
Brazile found immediate success with the Oilers, winning the
NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year award for the
1975 season. He was named to the
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
seven straight seasons, was
All-Pro
All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...
five straight seasons (1976–80), and was selected to the
NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1970s. In
1978 and
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...
, Brazile was a key member of Oilers teams that went to back-to-back
AFC Championship games.
After a third straight postseason loss in
1980, Phillips was fired by Oilers owner
Bud Adams
Kenneth Stanley "Bud" Adams, Jr. (January 3, 1923 – October 21, 2013) was an American businessman who was the founder and owner of the Tennessee Titans, a National Football League franchise. A member of the Cherokee Nation who originally mad ...
and the team entered a period of steep decline. The constant losing wore on Brazile and caused him to contemplate retiring. However, he has said it was the death of his first wife, Cookie, in a car wreck in Houston in 1984, that made the decision for him.
Officially, Brazile finished his career with 11
quarterback sacks. Unofficially, his career sack total is 48 (sacks did not become an official NFL statistic until 1982). He is also credited with 1,281 tackles, the second highest total in
Houston Oilers
The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...
/
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...
history.
On August 24, 2017, Brazile and former
Green Bay Packers guard
Jerry Kramer were named as seniors committee finalists for the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...
Class of 2018. He was announced as member of the class of 2018 on February 3, 2018. Robert Brazile was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, August 4, 2018, and his bust was sculpted by
Scott Myers.
![Robert](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Robert.Brazile.HoF.Bust.jpg)
On October 14, 2018, Brazile was inducted to the Titans-Oilers Ring of Honor.
Post-football
After retiring from the NFL, Brazile, along with ex-Oiler teammate
Ken Burrough, coached for a minor league pro team in Mobile, Alabama. After needing quadruple bypass heart surgery in 2004, Brazile gave up coaching and became a middle-school teacher for children with special needs in Mobile. He has also become an avid tennis player. When asked if his old "Dr. Doom" persona ever comes out on the tennis court, he's quoted as saying laughingly, "No more Dr. Doom," "Just Robert Brazile."
In 2007, Brazile was inducted into the Bancorp Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brazile, Robert
1953 births
Living people
American football linebackers
Houston Oilers players
Jackson State Tigers football players
American Conference Pro Bowl players
National Football League Defensive Rookie of the Year Award winners
Sportspeople from Mobile, Alabama
Players of American football from Alabama
Vigor High School alumni
Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees