Former Bengal standout dies at 67
Browner was a four-year starter at Notre Dame, helping the Fighting Irish win national titles in 1973 and 1977 under coach Ara Parseghian.
Browner was an All-American in 1976 as a junior, winning the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best lineman.
As a senior in 1977, Browner was again an All-American. He won the Maxwell Award as the nation’s best player, the Lombardi, which goes to the country’s best lineman, and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Browner still holds school records for career tackles by a defensive lineman with 340 and career tackles for loss with 77.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Cris Collinsworth receives congratulations from teammate Ross Browner after catching a first quarter touchdown pass during their game with Atlanta Falcons at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Nov. 26, 1984. The bengals beat the Falcons 35-14. (AP Photo/Rob Burns)
Credit: Rob Burns
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Cris Collinsworth receives congratulations from teammate Ross Browner after catching a first quarter touchdown pass during their game with Atlanta Falcons at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Nov. 26, 1984. The bengals beat the Falcons 35-14. (AP Photo/Rob Burns)
Credit: Rob Burns
Credit: Rob Burns
The Cincinnati Bengals selected Browner eighth overall in the 1978 NFL draft, and he immediately became a starter on the their defensive line.
Former Cincinnati wide receiver Isaac Curtis told Bengals.com that he fondly remembered Browner’s big laugh.
“You could hear it all over the place. He brought sunshine into the locker room. He just had that energy that was contagious,” Curtis said.
Browner was part of the first Bengals team to reach the Super Bowl in 1981. He recorded 10 tackles and a sack against the San Francisco 49ers in a 26-21 loss.
He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
After football, Browner pursued several business opportunities, eventually working in real estate and settling in Nashville, Tennessee.
Ross is survived by his wife, Shayla, and two sons.
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