Robert J. Brown

Robert J. Brown (August 23, 1904 - April 29, 1985) was an American football center and university regent. He played college football for the University of Michigan from 1923 to 1925. He later served as a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan from 1967 to 1974. As a senior, he was the captain of the 1925 Michigan Wolverines football team that head coach Fielding H. Yost called the greatest team he ever coached. The 1925 Wolverines team had a record five All-Americans (Bennie Oosterbaan, Benny Friedman, Thomas Edwards, Harry Hawkins and Brown) and outscored their opponents 227-3. Remarkably, despite giving up only three points in eight games, the three points were enough to give Northwestern a 3-2 victory on November 7, 1925, on a wet and muddy Soldier Field in Chicago. Other than the loss to Northwestern, the 1925 had seven shutouts, beating Michigan State (39-0), Indiana (63-0), Wisconsin (21-0), Illinois (3-0), Navy (54-0), Ohio State (10-0), and Minnesota (35-0). Yost called Brown, "One of the greatest inspirational leaders I have seen." After leaving Michigan, Brown was a businessman in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He ran for the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan in 1966 as a Republican and served as a Regent from 1967 to 1974. His son, Robert M. Brown was captain of the 1962 Wolverines team, giving them the distinction of being the only father and son football players for the University of Michigan who also served as team captains. Brown died in 1985.