Lifelong footballer Brasher inducted into Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame

All Tommy Brasher could do was think about his dad.

The Mercer Island resident experienced mixed emotions on a recent evening while being inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. The 81-year-old was proud of his accomplishments as a high school, college and professional football coach, but wished that his father was present to share the special moment with him and his family.

On a recent day while sitting in the awards room of his apartment at Covenant Living at the Shores, Brasher tilted his head upward and collected his thoughts before moving on with the conversation.

Brasher fiddled a bit with the huge ring on his finger that he received at the ceremony before sharing, “My dad would have loved to have gone to this (event).”

The elder Brasher and his wife passed away when Tommy was in his mid-40s. Family and football are forever connected with the Brashers, and Tommy reached for a white ball signed by former high school players at the ceremony while noting, “My dad gave me a football when I was in the hospital (after his birth).”

Football as a newborn and continuing into adulthood would be a major element of his life journey, which included his latest stop at the 64th annual Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony on April 8 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.

A native of El Dorado, Arkansas, Brasher played high school running back in his hometown and in Louisiana, and then switched to center and linebacker for his stellar three-year run at the University of Arkansas. Coaching was next on his docket, and he shared his love of the game with players at El Dorado High and other high schools before returning to the University of Arkansas to begin his college coaching career there and later at several other schools.

Next, Brasher reached the professional level, where he spent 30 years as a coach for the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs. He coached for the Eagles three times and finished his career with the Chiefs in 2017, serving under Andy Reid for 12 of those years.

Coaching the defensive line was Brasher’s forte and he credits legendary University of Arkansas head coach Frank Broyles for pointing him in that direction.

One afternoon in 1970, Brasher recalls this scenario at the U of A: “Coach Broyles called me up 50 rows. First day of spring, ‘Brasher! Brasher! Come up here.’ ‘You need to learn the line,’ so I learned the line.”

Brasher enjoyed the rugged atmosphere of the defensive line and he especially liked seeing his players break through blocks and register quarterback sacks.

“If you don’t know how to rush a passer, then you don’t last long,” said Brasher, who coached for 46 years and was also inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 2008.

While holding that white football in his hands, Brasher said he was pleased to be honored in the hall of fame while his wife, LaNelle, and his brothers and daughters were on hand. It triggered good memories and he said it was an honor and a privilege to be included in the hall alongside the nine other inductees, including a posthumous honor for Dr. Delores “Dolly” Brumfield White, who played professional baseball during World War II.

Brasher — who still watches Chiefs games on television — looked at his college football photo on the cover of the program and said with a chuckle, “Pretty good looking — then.”