Former Vikings All-Pro safety Browner dies at 65 (1:29)
Former Vikings All-Pro safety Browner dies at 65 (1:29)
Mar 29, 2026, 01:35 PM ET
Joey Browner, the first defensive back selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round and a member of the team’s Ring of Honor, died Saturday at the age of 65, the team announced Sunday.
The Vikings did not disclose Browner’s cause of death.
Minnesota selected Browner with the 19th pick in the 1983 NFL draft out of USC. He and Harrison Smith are the only safeties ever picked by the Vikings in the first round.
Browner was selected as a first-team All-Pro three times and to six consecutive Pro Bowls in nine seasons (1983-91) for the Vikings. He had 37 interceptions, returning three for touchdowns, and 17 forced fumbles in 138 games (115 starts) for the franchise. He also had 17 fumble recoveries, returning one for a touchdown, and led the Vikings in tackles in 1986 and 1987.
Browner’s 37 interceptions rank fifth in Vikings franchise history. Smith broke a tie with Browner and moved into fourth when he notched his 38th interception last season. He paid tribute to Browner after doing so, saying Browner «was a guy who helped define what it is to be a safety» and that it was «an honor to be mentioned amongst him.»
Browner spent his final NFL season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1992.
He was named to the NFL’s 1980s Team of the Decade and inducted in the Vikings’ Ring of Honor in 2013. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Vikings in 2010.
