CFL Legend Tom Brown, 1964 Grey Cup Champion, Dies at 89

VANCOUVER - Canadian Football Hall of Famer Tom Brown, a three-time CFL All-Star and 1964 Grey Cup champion with the B.C. Lions, has died at age 89.

Brown played 97 regular-season games for the Lions from 1961 to 1967 and was twice awarded the CFL’s top lineman honor. He anchored the famed “Head Hunters” defensive unit and helped secure the franchise’s first league title in 1964.

A Minneapolis native, Brown won a national college championship with the University of Minnesota Gophers in 1960 and was the Heisman Trophy runner-up before signing with the Lions over the NFL’s Baltimore Colts.

Inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1984 and the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1986, Brown was also a charter member of the B.C. Lions Wall of Fame.

The team confirmed his passing but did not release details on cause or funeral arrangements. "A great player, teammate, and family man," said Lions executive Jamie Taras.