Tim Brown (born July 22, 1966) is a retired National Football League player who was predominantly used as a wide receiver and also as a kick and punt returner early in his career. Brown was the Raiders' 1st round selection in the 1988 draft from the University of Notre Dame, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior in 1987. He was voted to the Pro Bowl nine times, (1988, 1991, 1993-97, 1999 and 2001) the first two times as a returner, the last 7 times as a receiver. In 2002 he passed Gene Upshaw to become the Raiders' all-time leader in games played with 224. Brown was released by the Raiders before the 2004 season, as he did not want to accept a smaller role in the offense. Brown was signed shortly thereafter by the Buccaneers (coached by former Raider head coach Jon Gruden). The move was a mild controversy as Brown had always been a fan favorite in the Oakland area and was much admired by many current and former Raiders players & staff over the 15 years he spent with the Raider organization. However, Brown's declining performance in recent years may have contributed to the decision to release him, making the decision more than purely financial. Brown was the last of the Los Angeles Raiders to remain with Oakland.
On September 27, 2004, in his first game at Oakland since being signed by Tampa Bay, Brown crested 100 career receiving touchdowns, tying him (with Steve Largent) for 3rd on the NFL's all-time career receiving touchdown list (behind former teammate Jerry Rice (197) and Cris Carter (130).
In 2005, Tim Brown signed a one day contract with the Raiders to retire with the team he played 16 seasons for. The July 18 news conference was attended by two Raiders' officials, and only one active Raider, wide receiver Jerry Porter. Brown retired with 14,934 receiving yards, the second highest total in NFL history, 1094 receptions (3rd), and 100 touchdown catches (3rd-Tied). Brown also gained 190 rushing yards, 3,320 punt return yards, 3 fumble return yards, and 1,235 yards returning kickoffs. This gave him a total of 19,682 combined net yards, ranking him #5 among the NFL's all time leaders in that category at the time of his retirement. He also scored 105 total touchdowns(100 receiving, 1 rushing, 3 punt returns, 1 kickoff return)
Brown is also rumored to be, in some role, involved with NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program, probably as a team owner.
