HBCU Football Icon's Statue To Join MLB Legends Hank Aaron & Satchel Paige At Historic Unveiling

The Hall of Fame Walk, located in front of the Mobile Convention Center on the Riverwalk, is a permanent installation honoring former Major League Baseball starts and Hall of Fame members Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige, Billy Williams, Ozzie Smith, and Willie McCovey along with the HBCU football legend Brazile. A total of six 9-foot tall statues of each will line the front of the Convention Center.

The public is invited to the unveiling and dedication of the statues during the ribbon cutting at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, June 24. The event will include remarks from city leaders, featured Hall of Fame members and representatives of their families.

Additional Coverage on Robert Brazile:

SWAC ALUMNI HONORED BRAZILE

Robert Brazile, a Jackson State University legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker, will receive the Roscoe Nance Lifetime Achievement Award at the SWAC Alumni Association's Legends Awards and Roast on Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Flowood.

The event will be held at the Sheraton Refuge Hotel and Conference Center, beginning at 7 pm.

The Mobile, Ala. native walked on to Jackson State University's football team in 1971 and ultimately left the gridiron as a legend of the sport. Not heavily recruited out of Vigor High School in Pritchard, Ala., Brazile and his high school teammate, Rickey Young, visited Jackson State. Tigers head coach Robert "Bob" Hill signed both.

Brazile was signed as a tight end but was switched during his freshman year to linebacker, a position he would excel in the rest of his football career, both in college and the professional ranks. He was the quintessential linebacker. He was big (6-4, 241), strong, fast (4.6, 40), and a hard-hitting sure tackler. He was named the Defensive MVP of the 1971 Alabama High School All-Star Football Game. During his career at Jackson State, Brazile was a human highlights film, especially his senior year in 1974.

He was named All-Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), led the conference in total tackles (208) and interceptions (9), played in the Senior Bowl and was named to the Sheridan Black College All-America Team. The four years he played at JSU, the Tigers compiled a record of 30-10-1 and won back-to-back SWAC championships in 1972 and 1973.

Brazile capped a memorable collegiate career by being selected sixth overall in the first round of the 1975 NFL Draft. His college roommate, Walter Payton (yes, that Walter Payton) was picked fourth in the first round of the 1975 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears. They became the only teammates on a Mississippi college or HBCU team to be drafted among the top 10 picks in the history of the NFL Draft. Remember Brazile's Vigor High teammate, Rickey Young? He played fullback for JSU and was drafted in the seventh round of the 1975 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers. He played nine seasons in the NFL.

Three players off the 1974 Jackson State team, including Brazile, are now in the NFL Hall of Fame. The other two are Payton and Jackie Slater. If Brazile's collegiate career could be referred to as a human highlights film, then the main feature came during his NFL career, all with the Houston Oilers (1975 to 1984). Brazile never missed a game and started 147 straight games with the Oilers during his 10-year career.

His NFL highlights include being named Defensive Rookie of the Year (1975), two-time first team All Pro (1978, 1979), four-time second team All Pro (1976, 1977, 1980 1981), seven-time Pro Bowl (1976-1982), NFL 1970s All Decade Team, and Titans Oilers Ring of Honors.

During his rookie year with the Oilers, Brazile acquired the nickname "Dr. Doom" from one of his Oilers teammates. The media quickly picked up on the nickname, including Howard Cosell, The Association's Legends Awards and Roast annually honors former student-athletes as well as former or current coaches, athletics administrators or staff members who have had positive impacts on the historic conference.

Proceeds from the Legends Awards and Roast benefit the SWAC Alumni Association's Degree Completion Scholarship Fund, which provides financial support to student- athletes in the conference whose eligibility has expired and who are within 30 hours of graduating.