Former star USC defensive back and Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor member Joey Browner died Saturday from natural causes, USC announced Monday. He was 65.
Browner was a defensive pillar from the end of legendary coachJohn Robinson’s first stint with USC, earning a First Team All-Conference selection in 1982 after securing four interceptions, returning two for touchdowns and returning a punt for a touchdown. He also won the internal team MVP and USC-UCLA game MVP awards that season.
In 2015, Browner was one of 25 Trojans named to the majority-USC Pac-12 All-Century Team, though he was the only Trojan cornerback on the list. Browner played 44 games over four seasons with USC — mostly at cornerback before becoming a safety in 1982 — where he amassed nine interceptions and 409 punt return yards, good for the 15th most in program history.
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After being drafted in the first round by the Vikings in 1983, Browner made six Pro Bowls and was a three-time All-Pro in nine seasons with the team, before finishing his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1992. In 138 games as a safety with the Vikings, Browner grabbed 37 interceptions, forced 17 fumbles and had 9.5 sacks.
Sean Salisbury, who played with Browner at USC in 1981 and 1982 before they reunited on the Vikings, wrote in a post on X that he was blessed to have played alongside Browner throughout his career.
“Phenomenal player and loved by so many. One of the best players I’ve ever played with in both college and the NFL,” Salisbury wrote. “Very grateful to have called him a good friend. God Bless him and his family.”
A captain in 1982, Browner was particularly noted for his leadership ability, which he partially attributed to learning from future USC and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott in his first two years with the Trojans, 1979 and 1980.
“Joey Browner was outstanding today,” Robinson said after a 1982 game. “We got great leadership from him, and the entire secondary was much more aggressive.”
Browner was not the only member of his football family to attend USC or play in the NFL; both of his older brothers spent time in the pros, while his younger brother, Keith Browner, joined him at USC before embarking on a 65-game NFL career of his own. The brothers played together for two seasons, with Keith noting Joey’s impact as a significant reason for his development. Keith Browner died in November 2025 at 63.
“Joey helps me a lot,” Keith Browner told theDaily Trojan in 1982. “If I don’t make the play, he’s there to back me up.”