“SWAC Luminaries Unite to Celebrate Jackson State Icon and Hall of Famer”

Robert Brazile, a Jackson State University icon and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker, is to be honored with the Roscoe Nance Lifetime Achievement Award during the SWAC Alumni Association’s Legends Awards and Roast on Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Flowood.

The gathering is scheduled at the Sheraton Refuge Hotel and Conference Center, commencing at 7 pm.

The Mobile, Ala. native joined Jackson State University’s football squad in 1971 and eventually exited the field as a standout in the sport. Not extensively recruited from Vigor High School in Pritchard, Ala., Brazile and his high school associate, Rickey Young, toured Jackson State. Tigers head coach Robert “Bob” Hill enlisted both.

Brazile was initially signed as a tight end but transitioned during his freshman year to linebacker, a role in which he thrived throughout his football journey, both at the collegiate and professional levels. He exemplified the ideal linebacker. He was tall (6-4, 241), robust, swift (4.6, 40), and a formidable tackler. He was awarded the Defensive MVP of the 1971 Alabama High School All-Star Football Game. Throughout his tenure at Jackson State, Brazile was a continuous highlight reel, particularly in his senior year of 1974.

He earned All-Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) honors, led the conference in total tackles (208) and interceptions (9), participated in the Senior Bowl and was selected for the Sheridan Black College All-America Team. During his four years playing at JSU, the Tigers amassed a record of 30-10-1 and secured consecutive SWAC championships in 1972 and 1973.

Brazile culminated a remarkable college career by being picked sixth overall in the first round of the 1975 NFL Draft. His college roommate, Walter Payton (yes, that Walter Payton) was chosen fourth in the first round of the 1975 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears. They became the only teammates from a Mississippi college or HBCU team to be selected 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 chosen in the seventh round of the 1975 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers. He had a nine-season career in the NFL.

Three athletes from the 1974 Jackson State squad, including Brazile, have now been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. The other two are Payton and Jackie Slater. If Brazile’s collegiate journey could be described as a human highlights film, then the main attraction unfolded during his NFL career, all with the Houston Oilers (1975 to 1984). Brazile never missed a game and started 147 consecutive games with the Oilers throughout his decade-long career.

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

During his inaugural year with the Oilers, Brazile acquired the moniker “Dr. Doom” from one of his Oilers companions. The media swiftly adopted the nickname, including Howard Cosell. The Association’s Legends Awards and Roast annually celebrates former student-athletes along with past or present coaches, athletic administrators, or staff members who have made constructive contributions to the historic conference.

Funds raised from the Legends Awards and Roast support the SWAC Alumni Association’s Degree Completion Scholarship Fund, which provides financial aid to student-athletes in the conference whose eligibility has lapsed and are within 30 credit hours of graduating.