The Little Rock Touchdown Club welcomed former Notre Dame Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown Monday afternoon ahead of the Fighting Irish’s much-anticipated game with Arkansas on Saturday.
Brown won college football’s top award in 1987 and was later drafted in the first round of the 1988 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Raiders, where he was a standout receiver and returner. He played with the Raiders for 16 seasons before being traded to the Buccaneers for his final season in 2004. The Dallas native is a member of the college and pro football halls of fame, and is one of only 10 Heisman winners in the latter. The LRTDC hosted five of the 10, including Brown, back in 2015.
Brown wore his Pro Football Hall of Fame gold jacket on Monday, which got the attention of club co-founder and emcee David Bazzel.
“Wear your gold jacket if you’ve got it,” Bazzel said.
Bazzell said many HOF members are hesitant to wear the jacket, and asked Brown why it’s important for him to wear it.
“You work very hard to get this jacket,” Brown said.
Brown is the commissioner of the Arena League, a six-on-six, even faster-paced indoor football league with a team in Hot Springs — the Arkansas Diamonds.
Photo Credit: DeWaine Duncan
“These kids play so hard,” he said.
With NIL, the transfer portal and revenue sharing drastically changing the landscape of college football, Bazzel asked Brown if he was offered money at the time of his recruitment. Brown shared an anecdote about having to hide in a broom closet while meeting with coaches at SMU.
“I hear the coach saying, ‘I would never illegally recruit anyone,’” he said. SMU was given the “death penalty” — suspension of its football program — in the late 1980s for multiple recruiting violations.
That was when he ended his consideration of the Mustangs. Brown ultimately signed with Notre Dame, choosing the school for the educational opportunities it gave him.
When Lou Holtz, who had previously coached the Razorbacks, came to Notre Dame in 1986, he promised that the team would win a championship in three years. He also said he thought Brown could win the Heisman. Brown won it the following year while leading the Irish to the 1988 national championship.
“How remarkable is that?” Bazzel said. “That was the greatness of Lou Holtz.”
Bazzel, a former Razorback who played for Holtz, asked what it was like to be on Notre Dame’s team when the Irish would play a team for the first time, as is the case with Saturday’s game.
“You can tell players have been talking about this, dreaming about this for a while,” Brown said. “Literally, it was like they were foaming at the mouth to get to us.”
Brown knew Notre Dame was something special when then-President Ronald Reagan came to visit.
Photo Credit: DeWaine Duncan
“You don’t go there because you think you can be a good football player,” Brown said. “You go there because you think you can be good at life.”
Bazzel asked what Brown thought about the transfer portal, as athletes have been able to change schools without restrictions since 2024. Brown said he was in favor of limited transfer opportunities.
“After your sophomore year, maybe, but there are not many freshmen who can come and play at that level right away anyway,” Brown said. “To be at a place for two years, I don’t think that is that hard to do.”
Brown touched on his faith, noting that many of his family members have been church leaders.
“I think it is the most important thing to ever happen to me in my life,” he said. “This is my life. It is who I am, and I’m very proud of it.”
Next week, the club welcomes sports commentator Craig James, who is a former all-American at SMU.
AY Media Group is a proud media sponsor of the Little Rock Touchdown Club.
Photo Credit: DeWaine Duncan
READ ALSO: Officer Tommy Norman Retires From NLRPD
