Bill Brown (American football)

William Dorsey Brown (born June 29, 1938 in Mendota, Illinois) is a former American football player. Brown was a running back in the National Football League for 14 seasons, including 13 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, and was named to the Pro Bowl four times.

Brown attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At Illinois, Brown was an All-Big Ten fullback, and also won the Big Ten shot put title and set an Illinois record with a toss of 54 feet, 10.5 inches.

A second round choice of the Chicago Bears in the 1961 NFL Draft, Brown was traded to the Vikings before the 1962 NFL season, for a fourth-round draft pick in the 1964 NFL Draft. Brown played for the Vikings for 13 seasons, and was named to the Pro Bowl after the 1964, 1965, 1967, and 1968 NFL seasons, earning the nickname "Boom-Boom" for his reckless, and often violent, running style.

Brown holds many Vikings team records. Brown holds Vikings records for most games played by a running back (182), most consecutive games played by a running back (101), and most games started by a running back (111). He ranks fourth for career rushing yards (5,757), trailing Robert Smith (6,818), Adrian Peterson, and Chuck Foreman (5,887). Brown holds the team record for career rushing attempts (1627), and is tied for third in team history in rushing touchdowns (52). He ranks fourth in career points scored (456), behind Fred Cox, Fuad Reveiz, and Cris Carter. Brown's combined rushing and receiving yards (9237) ranks third, behind Darrin Nelson and Cris Carter.

Personal
Rich Gannon, former Oakland Raiders quarterback, is his son-in-law.