Mike Brunson

Mike Brunson
Brunson in 1972
No. 19
PositionsHalfback, wingback, wide receiver, return specialist
Personal information
Born(1947-07-30)July 30, 1947
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
DiedSeptember 18, 2002(2002-09-18) (aged 55)
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolCortez (Cortez, Colorado)
CollegeMesa (CO), Arizona State
NFL draft1970: 11th round, 272nd overall pick
Career history
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Awards and highlights
  • All-Intermountain Collegiate Athletic Conference (1967)
  • Colorado Mesa University Athletics Hall of Honor (2013)
Career NFL statistics
Games played8
Kickoff return yards54
Rushing yards9
Stats at Pro Football Reference 

Michael Sanders Brunson (July 30, 1947 – September 18, 2002) was an American football player. He played college football as a halfback at Mesa College (now known as Colorado Mesa University) in 1967 and as a wingback at Arizona State University in 1968 and 1969. He also played in the National Football League as a return specialist and running back for the Atlanta Falcons in 1970. He was on the Falcons' taxi squad as a wide receiver in 1971 and 1972 and also played in the pre-season for the Houston Oilers in 1973 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1974.

After his playing career ended, he was an elementary school teacher and coach in Phoenix, Arizona, for many years. The Brunson-Lee Elementary school in Phoenix was named in his honor, and he was posthumously inducted into the Colorado Mesa University Athletics Hall of Honor in 2013.

Early years

Brunson was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, but moved with his family to Colorado. He attended Cortez High School (now Montezuma-Cortez High School) in Cortez, Colorado. At Cortez, he was a star athlete in football, basketball, and track. As a senior, he led the Southwestern League in football scoring with 54 points, tallying nine touchdowns in four games.[1] He also averaged 18.4 points a game for the basketball team and was a first-team selection on the All-Southwestern League team.[2] On the track team, he competed in the 100-yard dash and broad jump and set records in the quarter mile and the triple jump.[3][4]

College career

Mesa

After high school, Brunson enrolled at Mesa College in Grand Junction, Colorado. He competed in track and football at Mesa. At a track meet in April 1967, he set a meet record with a time of 49.45 in the 440-yard dash.[5] In the fall of 1967, Brunston played at the halfback position and led Mesa's football team to its best record (8–1–1) since 1956. Brunson tallied 714 rushing yards and 265 receiving yards,[6] winning first-team honors on the Intermountain Collegiate Athletic Conference all-star football team.[7] He was also selected by his teammates as the team's most outstanding back.[8]

Arizona State

After the 1967 football season, Brunson received scholarship offers from multiple universities, including Colorado State and Arizona State.[9][10] He chose Arizona State and was the Sun Devils' starting wingback in 1968 and 1969, tallying 22 receptions for 414 yards while also rushing for 124 yards. Despite a shoulder injury that shortened his senior season in 1969, he averaged 19.9 yards per reception and 8.4 yards per rushing carry.[11]

Professional football

Brunson was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 11th round of the 1970 NFL draft.[12] He began the 1970 season on Atlanta's taxi squad, but was activated in mid-October,[13] appearing in eight games, principally as a return specialist. He returned four kickoffs for a total of 54 yards. He also had one rushing carry for nine yards against the Chicago Bears.[14]

Brunson returned to the Falcons in 1971, but he was waived in the week before the season opener.[15] He was retained as a taxi squad wide receiver in 1971. He returned to the Falcons' camp for a third season in 1972, showing promise as a "deep threat" wide receiver.[16] However, he was cut at the end of August 1972.[17] Al Thomy of The Atlantta Constitution called Brunson's release a "mild surprise", as he "had appeared improved on his catching."[18]

In June 1973, Brunson signed with the Houston Oilers,[19] but he was released in late August.[20]

Brunson's final stint in the NFL came in 1974 with the St. Louis Cardinals. However, he was placed on injured reserve in early September.[21]

Family and later years

Brunson's younger brother Larry Brunson also played in the NFL, as a wide receiver from 1974 to 1980.[22][23]

Brunson and his wife, Essie, had two sons, Michael and Marcus. Marcus won All-American honors in track at Arizona State.[24]

Brunson worked for 23 years as a physical education teacher and coach at Crockett Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona. He retired in May 2002, as he was suffering from colon cancer. At his retirement party, teachers, administrators, former Arizona State teammates, and his former head football coach Frank Kush joined in the celebration.[25] He died four months later at age 55.[24]

Legacy

Brunson was remembered for his sense of humor, his "huge grin", as a "gadget guy", and as a maker of banana ice cream. His school principal recalled: "Coach was the kind of man who never let an opportunity go by to say something nice. The miracle of his life was that he made each of us feel valued and supportive."[25]

In December 2002, the Balsz Elementary School District's governing board chose to name its new school the Brunson-Lee Elementary School in honor of Brunson and another teacher, Ginger Lee. One board member explained: "The guy, he was sunshine. The guy smiled all the time. I think he'll smile on this school."[26]

Brunson was posthumously inducted into the Colorado Mesa University Athletics Hall of Honor in 2013.[27]

References

  1. ^ "Durango-La Junta Meet In Playoffs". The Daily Sentinel. November 15, 1966. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Tigers Place Three On SWL Star Team". The Daily Sentinel. March 14, 1966. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Tigers Capture District 51 Meet". The Daily Sentinel. April 24, 1966. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Tiger Thinclads Win Delta Meet". The Daily Sentinel. April 17, 1966. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Jackson, Brunson Star For Mesa". The Daily Sentinel. April 24, 1967. p. 9.
  6. ^ Cliff Parker (November 16, 1967). "Mavs Seson Highly Successful". The Daily Sentinel. p. 12.
  7. ^ "Six Mavericks Gain Berths On All-Stars". The Daily Sentinel. November 21, 1967. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Outstanding Mesa Gridders". The Daily Sentinel. December 12, 1967. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Bob Eger (November 15, 1968). "Brunson carves own niche". The Arizona Republic. p. 2D – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Bob Jacobsen (September 12, 1969). "Brunson raring to go". The Arizona Republic. p. 51 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Mike Brunson". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  12. ^ "Atlanta Picks Cortez Athlete". The Daily Sentinel. January 29, 1970. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Brunson Now A Pro". The Daily Sentinel. October 17, 1970. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Mike Brunson NFL Game Logs". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  15. ^ "One Last Waive Good-bye". The Atlanta Journal. September 15, 1971. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Frank Hyland (August 2, 1972). "Mike Brunson Real Threat For Falcons". The Atlanta Journal. p. 5D – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Frank Hyland (August 29, 1972). "Falcons Cut Mike Brunson". The Atlanta Journal. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Al Thomy (August 30, 1972). "Falcons Cut Brunson". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 1D.
  19. ^ "Brunson to Oilers". The Arizona Republic. June 13, 1973. p. E7 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Transactions". The Daily Sentinel. August 26, 1973. p. 46 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Cards Cut Sniadeck". Times-Herald (Vallejo, CA). September 9, 1974. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Mike Brunson". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  23. ^ "Larry Brunson". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sporting Reference LLC. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  24. ^ a b "Obituary". The Arizona Republic. September 21, 2002. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ a b Connie Cone Sexton (October 3, 2002). "No Joke: Coach did what he loved". The Arizona Republic. p. B9 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Sarah Anchors (December 18, 2002). "Balsz school named Brunson-Lee". The Arizona Republic. p. 1 (Central Phoenxi section) – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Michael Brunson". Colorado Mesa University. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
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