Willie Brown

William Ferdie Brown (December 2, 1940 – October 21, 2019) was an American professional football player, coach, and administrator who played as a cornerback. Brown was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, where he grew up on Mushroom Street with his parents, six brothers, and two sisters. He attended the all-black N. D. Taylor High School, known as Yazoo No. 2, in the segregated city, and played both offense and defense for coach Peter Boston, brother of Olympic track star Ralph Boston.

Brown played cornerback for the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League (AFL), and later continued in the National Football League (NFL) following the merger. After his playing career, he remained with the Raiders as an assistant coach. In 1991, Brown served as the head football coach at California State University, Long Beach, the final season before the school terminated its football program.

Brown was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1984. In 1978, the city of Yazoo City changed the name of Mushroom Street to Willie Brown Street in his honor. At the time of his death he was on the Raiders' administrative staff.