We are 69 days away from college football kickoff. Better yet to quote Bill and Ted while they were on their Excellent Adventure “69 Dudes!” As we channel our inner ‘Wyld Stallyns’ let’s check out todays players. As the countdown keeps on riffing on. Today, we have Minnesota’s Tom Brown and Utah’s Jordan Gross. Be sure to check back tomorrow for #68 in our countdown to kickoff. Enjoy!
Tom Brown Days Away From College Football Kickoff
“Rock of Gibraltar”
Tom Brown had an incredible 1960 season, earning unanimous First Team All-America honors as a guard. Playing for the Golden Gophers, he helped the team rise from last place in the Big Ten the year before to winning the national championship and earning a spot in the Rose Bowl.
He finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, which is the highest spot ever for an interior lineman. On defense, he was so tough that people called him the “Rock of Gibraltar.”
While on offense, his coach Murray Warmath said he was like a “rolling boulder” when making space for Gopher runners. Brown shined in big games, like when Minnesota beat top-ranked Iowa. On defense, he stopped a key Hawkeye drive deep in Minnesota territory with a five-yard tackle for loss. When the Gophers got the ball back, they ran behind Brown in their 27-10 win that put them at the top of the polls.
“Brownie” also competed in track as a shot-putter and discus thrower. He was drafted by both the NFL’s Baltimore Colts and the British Columbia Lions in the Canadian Football League, but chose to play in Canada. In 1964, he led the Lions to a Grey Cup championship and was named the team’s MVP. He won another Grey Cup before a neck injury forced him to retire in 1967. Brown was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1984 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
Another Great # 69, Jordan Gross, OT, Utah
Jordan Gross played for the Utah Utes football team from 1999 to 2002 while attending the University of Utah. He redshirted his first year, then started three games and played in the Las Vegas Bowl, where the Utes, as Mountain West Conference champions, beat Fresno State 17-16.
In his second season, Gross started all 11 games, switching between offensive tackle and guard, and earned honorable mention All-MWC honors. As a junior, Gross showed even more versatility by playing left tackle, left guard, and right tackle, again earning honorable-mention All-MWC honors. That year, his offensive line allowed only five sacks, tying the University of Miami Hurricanes for the fewest allowed in the nation. In his senior year in 2002, Gross was named first-team All-MWC and was a consensus first-team All-American. Gross was also a finalist for the Outland Trophy, awarded to the best interior lineman in college football, after not allowing a single sack all season at left tackle.
After his 11 year pro career with the Carolina Panthers Gross went on to coach football. As head coach at Fruitland High School in Idaho. Gross’ 2025 Fruitland squad went 10-1 and won the Snake River Valley Conference title.
In January 2026, Gross became the offensive line coach for his alma mater.
Editor’s Note: The countdown to college football kickoff has been a series on the Last Word on College Football social media platforms for the past 9 years. They consisted of a photo and a small blurb for each player, with the jersey corresponding to the number of days until kickoff. The rank of the players is sourced from articles by Bleacher Report, Fox Sports, and The Athletic. There are also some favorite players of the Last Word on College Football writers. Their bios are sourced from multiple online sources, including but not limited to the College Football Hall of Fame, their Heisman profiles, and school websites.
Main Photo: University of Minnesota Athletics
