Tommy Brasher, the Kansas City Chiefs’ first defensive line coach under head coach Andy Reid, has passed away according to multiple reports. He was 84.
The Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame reported that Brasher died while surrounded by family in his home on Mercer Island, Washington, Monday.
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Brasher left the Philadelphia Eagles for Kansas City along with Reid in 2013 to become the Chiefs’ defensive line coach. By the time of his final season, 2015, he was the NFL‘s oldest assistant coach at the age of 75.
Brasher’s NFL coaching career also included stops with the New England Patriots (1982-84), Eagles (1985; 1999-2005; 2012), Atlanta Falcons (1986-89), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1990), and Seattle Seahawks (1992-98).
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An all-conference selection himself as a linebacker at Arkansas from 1962-63, Brasher was a college teammate of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and former Miami Dolphins and Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson.
Brasher was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2022, the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 2008, and the Union County Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
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In 2001, Brasher became one of the few coaches to ever be awarded the Ed Block Courage Award, presented to players and coaches in the NFL who are voted on by their teammates as role models of inspiration, sportsmanship and courage. The previous year, while coaching for the Eagles, he left the team for five days to to undergo surgery for salivary gland cancer.
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 a three-year run at the University of Arkansas.
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Brasher told the Mercer Island Reporter that he enjoyed the rugged atmosphere of the defensive line, and he especially liked seeing his players break through blocks and register quarterback sacks.
In an interview with the Chiefs’ website in 2013, their younger linemen expressed respect for Brasher’s “old school” methods.
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“He really treats us like grown men, which makes us show him the same respect back, on getting our craft better,” Dontari Poe said. “He’s not the type to holler at you but if he needs you to do something, he’ll let you know what you’re going to have to do.”
Brasher transitioned to a special projects position with the Chiefs from 2016-17. He is survived by his wife, LaNelle Fuller Brasher, two children, four grandchildren, and two brothers.
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