William Ferdie Brown (December 2, 1940 – October 21, 2019)[1] was an American professional football player, coach and administrator.

Robinson said that Brown would have been a great running back or tight end as well because he was an outstanding blocker.

[3][6][4] While at Grambling, Brown was All Southwestern Atlantic Conference (SWAC) as an outside linebacker, as well as in track and field.

[3][8][7] In 1967, Brown was traded within the Western Division to the Oakland Raiders and spent the remainder of his playing career there.

"[12] His record stood for 29 years, until it was broken by Kelly Herndon's non-scoring 76-yard interception return from the end zone in Super Bowl XL.

[14] In addition to the touchdown scored against Tarkenton, he returned an interception against future hall of fame Miami quarterback Bob Griese in the 1970 playoffs.

His two regular season interception touchdown returns were against Griese and future hall of fame Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson.

[14] Brown retired after the 1978 season, and finished his Raiders career with 39 interceptions, tied for first all-time on the team.

[18] In 2019, he was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, a distinction he shared with Raiders teammates Jim Otto, Art Shell, and Gene Upshaw.

Of becoming a high school coach after a storied career, Brown said, "'The bottom line is these kids need help.

He continued to work for the Raiders in various capacities over the years, culminating in serving as a team ambassador.

[20] While still playing, Brown worked for Shell Oil Company during the off-season in both public and employee relations.

Over the years, Brown showed great care, kindness, and attention to Davis's wife Carol, and became her best friend.