Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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backer Charles Haley, linebacker Junior Seau and guard Will Shields, senior fi- nalist Mick Tingelhoff, and contributors Bill Polian and Ron Wolf. With the addition of the late Seau and the two former Fighting Irish play- ers, Notre Dame and USC are the two schools tied for the most representation in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with 12 apiece. Coincidentally, Brown is currently sixth in NFL history in receiving yard- age (14,934), while Bettis is sixth all-time in rushing yardage (13,662). Brown became the sixth Notre Dame alumnus in history to be inducted into both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. The others were 1933-35 end Wayne Millner, 1946-47 lineman George Connor, 1954-56 quarterback/all-pur- pose player Paul Hornung, 1964-66 de- fensive lineman Alan Page and 1971-73 offensive tackle/tight end Dave Casper. Meanwhile, Bettis becomes the sev- enth youngest player to be inducted — only Jonathan Ogden, Walter Jones, Curtis Martin, Derrick Brooks, Marshall Faulk and Warren Sapp are younger. Previous inductees with Notre Dame connections are Casper (2002), Nick Buoniconti (2001), Joe Montana (2000), Page (1988), Hornung (1986), Connor (1975), Millner (1968), George Trafton (1964), Curly Lambeau (1963) and John "Blood" McNally (1963). UNUSUAL PATH Brown said that his decision to play for Notre Dame was "unusual" and the most difficult of his life because he wanted to remain in Texas. Plus, Notre Dame had been only 5-6, 6-4-1 and 7-5 under head coach Gerry Faust when he signed. Consequently, the recruiting began to slip and the 17-man class signed in 1984 that included Brown was, at the time, the smallest in Notre Dame history. Even Brown was recruited by accident while at Dallas' Woodrow Wilson High, where Brown's teams were 4-25-1 in his three varsity seasons. During Brown's junior campaign, he slipped onto Notre Dame's radar when an Irish assistant was in the stands to watch a player on Wilson's rival, Sky- FOR THE RECORD: TIM BROWN Brown set 19 different school records during his Fighting Irish career, including 1,937 all-purpose yards as a junior in 1986 that still stands, but that has no bearing on the NFL honor. Selected sixth overall in the 1988 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Raiders, Brown played 16 seasons with the franchise and one more season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. • In 1988, Brown set the NFL rookie record for most combined yards gained (2,317) while leading the NFL in kickoff returns, return yards and yards per return average. • At the time of his retirement, his 14,934 receiving yards were second highest in NFL history, his 1,094 receptions were third and his 100 touchdown catches were tied for third. • A member of the NFL 1990s All-Decade team, Brown was named to nine Pro Bowls — which is tied with Alan Page for the most by a Notre Dame graduate. • He also holds the record for most consecutive games with more than one reception (147 games) and hauled in at least 75 receptions for an NFL-record 10 straight seasons. • In 2001, he became the oldest player to return a punt for a TD.