Joey Browner, 3-time All-Pro defensive back with the Minnesota Vikings, dies at 65

Sun, March 29, 2026 at 10:22 PM UTC

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1 / 0Obit Browner FootballFILE - Former Vikings safety Joey Browner receives the ring of honor by Zygi Wilf, the majority owner of the team, during the halftime of an NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers, Oct. 27, 2013, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File) ()

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Joey Browner, a three-time All-Pro defensive back who played nine of his 10 NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, has died, the team said. He was 65.

The Vikings announced Browner's death Sunday and said his family had informed the team. A cause of death was not released.

A native of Warren, Ohio, who played in college at Southern California, Browner was selected by Minnesota with the 19th overall pick in the 1983 NFL draft. It was the first time the Vikings had used a first-round pick on a defensive back.

Blessed with a combination of speed and size for his position — he was 6-foot-2 and 221 pounds — Browner played for the Vikings from 1983-1991 and finished his career with 37 interceptions, the fifth most in franchise history. He also had 18 forced fumbles in 138 games for Minnesota.

Browner concluded his career by playing for Tampa Bay in 1992.

He made the first of six consecutive Pro Bowl appearances in 1985, and he was a first-team AP All-Pro in 1987, 1988 and 1990.

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In the strike-shortened 1987 season, Browner helped the Vikings advance to the NFC championship game, which they lost to eventual Super Bowl champion Washington.

In 2013, Browner was inducted in to the Vikings' ring of honor.

“Joey was one of those players that could transcend any generation of player,” former Vikings linebacker Scott Studwell said at the time. “He could’ve played today. When he played, he was one of the best at his position.”

Browner was part of a football family. Older brother Ross Browner was an edge rusher who played 10 NFL seasons, nine with Cincinnati. Another older brother, Jim Browner, was a defensive back for Cincinnati in 1979 and 1980.

Younger brother Keith Browner played 65 NFL games for four teams. A nephew, Keith Browner Jr., appeared in three games as an edge rusher for the Houston Texans in 2014.

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Source: “AOL Sports”