At the time of his retirement, Brown was regarded as the greatest running back in the history of the position,
and he is still regarded as one of the best to play in the NFL. He ranks sixth all-time in rushing touchdowns and 11th overall in rushing yards.
Mahan Brown was born in 1936 on St. Simons Island in Georgia. Brown's athletic prowess began at Manhasset Secondary School
where he affected football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse and track as a high school athlete.
Brown's football career peaked when he became a unanimous first-team All-American, with 986 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in eight games.
Brown's football career blossomed in his senior year as he broke the program record with six touchdowns in a single game.
For next seven of the eight years, Brown led the league in rushing yards and became the first player to score 100 career rushing touchdowns.
Brown was praised when the NFL had 12-game seasons in the first four years of his career and 14-game seasons in his final five years.
On June 4, 1967, Brown attended the Cleveland Summit, one of the most important moments in sports and civil rights history.
He and several other prominent black athletes gathered inside the offices of the Black Economic Union in Cleveland to interview boxer Muhammad Ali
and decided whether or not to support his stand against conscription into the US military during the Vietnam War.
John Wooten, a former Browns player, and Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bobby Mitchell were in attendance.