THE GATHERING PLACE OF PORTSMOUTH FOR OVER 20 YEARS, ROGER BROWN’S RESTAURANT & SPORTS BAR
For almost twenty years, Roger Brown’s has been serving up top quality seafood, steaks and freshly prepared dishes in a relaxing, inviting environment.  Our ninety-foot bar offers a wide selection of wine, craft beer and classic cocktails.  We offer a unique stadium selection with four 8 x 6 foot screens and 23 televisions so you know your game is always on.
Seafood for our jumbo lump Maryland style crab cakes and Low Country shrimp and grits are carefully selected and prepared to your satisfaction. Â Our steaks are hand cut in house and our hamburgers are award winning. We invite you to enjoy an authentic Olde Towne dining experience with a side of southern hospitality.Â
AWARD WINNING SOUTHERN COMFORT
Located in Historic Olde Towne Portsmouth, Roger Brown’s Restaurant and Sports Bar is a restaurant, bar, patio, banquet venue and dance hall that caters to a diverse community. We offer a fresh take on Southern favorites, signature cocktails, beer on tap and live entertainment to create the ultimate dining and drinking experience.
Roger Brown is from the small town of Surry, Virginia, about 40 miles north of the restaurant in Portsmouth.  After his career in the NFL, Roger went on to own a couple convenience stores in Detroit before moving back home to and opening his own McDonalds on the corner of Effingham and London in Portsmouth, VA. Â
ROGER BROWN’S PRO CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
• Detroit Lions, 1960-1966; LA Rams, 1967-1969
• Member of the “Fearsome Foursome” defensive lines for the Lions and Rams
• Voted to 6 Pro BowlsÂ
• First team All-Pro in 1962 and 1963 (Associated Press)
• First team All-Pro in 1964, 1965 and 1966 (Sporting News)
• First or second team All-Pro six straight years
• Los Angeles Times NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1962
• Set an NFL record for safeties in a season in 1962
• Sacked Bart Starr seven times in the famous 1962 “Thanksgiving Day Massacre”
• Pro Football Reference All-Decade Team – 1960s
• 2018 inductee into the Detroit Lions “Pride of the Lions” display honoring the greatest players in franchise history
Roger Brown (defensive tackle)
.jpg) Brown in 2007
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| No. 76, 78 | |||||
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| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | May 1, 1937 Surry County, Virginia |
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| Died: | September 17, 2021 (aged 84) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Nyack (NY) | ||||
| College: | Maryland State | ||||
| NFL Draft: | 1960Â / Round:Â 4Â / Pick:Â 42 | ||||
| AFL Draft: | 1960Â / Round:Â Second selections | ||||
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Roger Lee Brown (May 1, 1937 – September 17, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland State College before playing professionally for the Detroit Lions (1960–1966) and Los Angeles Rams (1967–1969).
Football career
Brown was drafted in the fourth round, 42nd overall, in the 1960 NFL Draft out of Maryland State College by the Detroit Lions. Played in the College All-Star Game in Chicago vs the Baltimore Colts. He played with the original fearsome foursome, with Alex Karras, Sam Williams and Darris McCord, He was named the 1962 Outstanding Defensive Lineman in the league, and sacked both Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas for safeties. Tying an individual NFL record for safeties scored in a single season; first set in 1932.[1] He played for the Lions through the 1966 season, then was traded to the Los Angeles Rams. He was known for his performance in the “Thanksgiving Day Massacre” game against the Green Bay Packers in 1962 where he sacked Bart Starr seven times, including one for a safety.
During his stint with the Rams, Brown, along with Deacon Jones, Lamar Lundy, and Merlin Olsen formed the “Fearsome Foursome“, the most feared defensive line at the time. He retired after three seasons with the Rams, ending a career in which he was an NFL Pro Bowl player for 6 straight seasons (1962–1967) and a 2-time first-team All-Pro (1962 and 1963). Brown was one of the first NFL players to have a playing weight over 300 lb but his size and speed made him one of the most dynamic players of the time.
In 1997, Brown was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. The Professional Football Researchers Association named Brown to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2007. In 2009 Brown was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
On Sunday, October 28, Brown was inducted into the “Pride of the Lions” at Ford Field during halftime of the game vs. the Seattle Seahawks.
In 2019, he was selected at No. 19 on the Detroit Free Press ranking of the Detroit Lions’ top 100 all-time players.
Restaurateur
After his playing career was over, Brown went into the restaurant business. He started a chain of eight restaurants in the Chicago area, and later owned three McDonald’s locations in Virginia. He owned Roger Brown’s Restaurant and Sports Bar in Portsmouth, Virginia,[4] and the Cove Taverns in Williamsburg, and Newport News, Virginia, was active in the Hampton Roads community, serving on 14 various local boards and committees.
