Cards: Topps 1981, Topps 1982
Acquired: TTM 2010, C/o home  (signing fee)
Sent: 8/27  Received: 9/11  (14 days)

Robert Brazile was a member of some of the underrated Houston Oilers defenses that were overshadowed by the Steelers in the AFC Central during the 1970’s.  The Houston Oilers would draft Brazile in the first round of the 1975 draft with the sixth overall pick under the direction of Bum Phillips who was looking for fresh bodies for his new 3-4 defense. Brazile was a perfect fit for defensive coordinator Bum Phillips who was enamored with Robert’s (6’4″,230) combination of power, speed and size. After pulling the trigger Brazile would not disappoint- winning NFL rookie of the year honors after the conclusion of the 1975 season. A key cornerstone to the Oilers 1970’s AFC Championship runs during the “Luv Ya Blue” era, Brazile would earn ProBowl honors from 1976-1982 and was named AP from 1976-1980.   Brazile would be nicknamed “Dr. Doom” by his teammates for his ability to blanket the field and make incredible bonecrunching hits. More importantly it was because he got thrown out of a game his rookie season for crushing Washington Redskin quarterback Billy Kilmer’s skull. A complete player, Dr. Doom was an incredibly intelligent player who could play both the pass and the run with frightening efficiency. Brazile would terrorize opponents through 1984, and is considered the forerunner to Lawrence Taylor as a blitzing linebacker- but because sacks did not become a tracked statistic until 1982, Brazile’s contributions to the transformation of the linebacker position are largely ignored.

As a dominating force from the outside Brazile is unofficially considered the #2 tackler in the history of the Oilers franchise with 1285 tackles and never missed a game over his 10 year career. He’d also be named to the NFL’s All 1970s team. Despite Brazile’s notable statistic and presence on the field, he is one of the major players who has not been inducted into the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame, but with teammate Elvin Bethea‘s recent induction- hope has been given anew that this stalwart defender will get his due. Brazile currently lives in Mobile, Alabama and briefly coached minor league football. An avid tennis player, Robert signed these cards for me for an extremely nominal fee, and even put his nickname on it that harkens to the Marvel Comics bad guy.

G/Gs 147/147     Tac  1285      Sac N/a    Fum 14     Int 13    Yds  201   Avg  15.4   Td 0    lg  33