How could any building that houses the best of the best in Patriots history not include the guy fans referred to as Mr. Patriot? Well, after Monday it no longer does.
Troy Brown received the highest percentage of votes in the history of process and became the 19th member at the Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon, and on Tuesday he discussed the honor with the media.
"I realize now how much the fans really did appreciate what I was doing, when at times it didn't seem like some other people around the organization didn't seem to realize that," Brown said. "When it comes down to it, I always played hard for my teammates, and I played hard for my coaches, no matter who it was, and ownership. And you really wanted to go out there and make our fans happy. I realized how much they appreciated the way I played the game. It does make me feel really good."
Brown's story is well-known throughout New England. After battling annually for a roster spot earlier in his career – according to Brown for about seven years – he blossomed into a productive wide receiver and punt returner. Later in his career he even filled in capably as a defensive back, which only added to his legend.
During that time Brown was always considered a selfless player, and that attitude and his versatility are reasons why he earned the ultimate nickname in the first place. Despite that, he admitted to thinking about what it would be like to someday be a part of such a prestigious group in Patriots lore.
"Those are things that kind of cross your mind from time to time," Brown said. "I'm not one that's big on accolades, and all those things and praise. I did my job, and I'm proud of what I did and how I did it. As a player, you get to see all those things. I saw Stanley Morgan go in. I saw Ben Coates go in, all those guys going to the Hall of Fame, Bruce Armstrong. Yeah, you think about those kinds of things because I see it, I played with some of those guys. You see them go in there, and when you walk into the Hall of Fame and the displays in there, all those things.
"Me, being a person that's not big on those kinds of things, when you see somebody's personal stuff hanging up in there, yeah, it does make you feel special. You kind of want to be a part of it. Any human being wants to be a part of that. It did cross my mind once I was done playing that maybe one day I'll get to go back there and be in the Hall of Fame along with some of the greatest Patriots to ever do it. I'm completely honored to be a part of that group now."
Brown beat out fellow finalists Bill Parcells and former safety Fred Marion for the honor. When asked about the candidacy of Parcells in particular, the wideout expressed optimism
"I do, and I think he's very deserving of it because you look at where this franchise was before Bill took over," said Brown, who played for Parcells from 1993-96. "He's the one that changed the attitude of the Patriots and the fans – he changed expectations. It's going to be a hard climb, so many guys that are going to be coming up from the Super Bowl teams. I think Tedy [Bruschi] is coming up. It's going to be really, really tough for them to get in there. But fans should look at it and think about what he did for franchise in this area."
But that's for another day. Today was all about Mr. Patriot.
