Munoz shared fond memories of Brown

Editor's note: This story is part of an eight-page special section in the Oct. 25 edition of the Norwalk Reflector. NORWALK — In his role with the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Anthony Munoz often asks the same question. As the Chief Football Relationship officer for the hall of fame, Munoz goes to many events like the ceremony he attended here, where a statue of Paul Brown was unveiled on October 21. "When I meet people that are football fans, I ask if they are a football history fan. And the first person I mention if they're not — I mention you have to look and see what Paul Brown gave to the game of football." Munoz's outstanding career is directly tied to Paul Brown, who helped found and coach the Cincinnati Bengals from 1968 until his death in 1991. Brown took a chance on Munoz with a high pick — third overall in the 1980 NFL Draft and remained president of the franchise for 11 of Munoz's 13 seasons with the team. Munoz shared a few stories about Brown during his public remarks after the statue was unveiled, noting that every day around the legendary coach involved a story. "Just the knowledge and history we would learn from him was a story," Munoz said. Offensive linemen always arrived early and would hang out in the locker room as the rest of the team and coaches filed in. Brown would often come in with questions. "We knew that he knew all the answers to the questions he would ask us," Munoz noted. "Because he was in on everything. Let's just say we were playing the Buffalo Bills. We would be laying there getting taped up, and he'd say, 'who has that No. 78 Smith?' "And I'd say 'coach, I'm the one blocking Bruce Smith.' And then he would share a story or insight. And it was like that consistently — him sharing stories and asking questions and getting answers. It was like a history lesson from his days coaching at Ohio State and with the Browns. I always thought that was pretty cool when he would do that." Munoz also mentioned the time when Brown did the "Icky Shuffle" during the Bengals' Super Bowl XXIII run in 1988. "That kind of blew us away because he was always so proper and straightforward in his suit and tie," he said. "But really, what I think about the most is the time after time he'd come into the locker room and just share stories, asking questions and leading to a story." Also during his speech here, Munoz shared the story of how he had three knee surgeries in four years during his time at USC. Although viewed as a strong NFL prospect, few teams were willing to take him high in the 1980 draft. "It's really an honor, and I'm humbled to be here in the City of Norwalk. I'm here representing the Cincinnati Bengals and as the Chief Football Relationship Officer for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I don't know if I could be standing up here saying that without coach Paul Brown." Munoz said he has never forgotten the gamble Brown took with the third overall pick. By the end of his second season, the team was in the Super Bowl with Munoz blocking for quarterback Ken Anderson and fullback Pete Johnson. "Paul Brown gave me an opportunity after a lot of teams weren't going to touch me because of the injuries," Munoz said. "But Paul Brown and his family, they took a chance. I'm sure a lot of Bengals fans around the state and country were saying, 'what the heck are they doing taking this guy who can't stay healthy?' "That was an incentive for me to prove they made the right decision. And I'm thankful to stand up here as a former Bengal for 13 years and now a Pro Football Hall of Famer." Looking around the new area on West Main Street, Munoz said he was genuinely impressed by the statue and granite wall of accomplishments. "It was a great tribute, and everyone involved did a phenomenal job with the wall and the marker, and of course, the statue looked just like him," he said. "It was pretty cool, and I was really happy I made the effort and I was there. It meant a lot to be part of that, and I appreciate that." Toward the end of his speech, Munoz mentioned he was glad to see a quote on the wall by Brown, which states, "When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less." "Maybe I'm old school like Paul Brown was," Munoz said. "To me, that's about humility. When you do something, when you score, act like you've been there. To me, he was all about humility and just getting the job done. And that's what I loved about the man. "He was amazing," he added. "It was 11 years I got to spend my career around Paul Brown, and the history and information we got from him was invaluable; priceless. So to be here, thank you for having me and to say a few words about coach." Widely viewed as both the greatest offensive lineman in NFL history and the greatest Cincinnati Bengal of all time, Munoz started 184 of a possible 185 games in his 13 seasons with the team. He was selected to 11 straight Pro Bowls and 11 straight All-Pro teams, including nine times on the first team. He was named the NFL Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1981, 1987, and 1988 and NFL Players Association Lineman of the Year in 1981, 1985, 1988, and 1989. During that time, the Bengals also had their best stretch of success with three AFC Central championships and two AFC titles from 1981-88. The 1991 Walter Payton Man of the Year recipient also caught seven passes and scored four touchdowns for the Bengals. According to pro-football-reference.com, Munoz stands alone among the greatest to ever play his position. The website has a Hall of Fame Monitor, which is a metric designed to estimate a player's chances of making the Pro Football Hall of Fame using Approximate Value, Pro Bowls, All-Pros, championships and various stat milestones. A score of 95.5 is around the average for a Hall of Fame left tackle. Munoz scored at 155.53, which is 22 points better than the next closest legend, Forrest Gregg — and 60-plus points more than the "average" Hall of Famer. Recent Cleveland Browns Hall of Fame inductee Joe Thomas is fifth on the list at 112.48 points. Munoz was hired into his position at the Hall of Fame in May 2022. The Class of 1998 inductee had already been on the Board of Trustees at the HoF for 12 years. He also sat on a board that helps with funds for fellow Hall of Famers. "When we hired Jim Porter as president (in 2018), the board decided to create a role to work alongside him," Munoz said. "They asked me to be on the search committee. But I pointed out I was already on two different boards, so let's have another Hall of Famer be on this one." A few weeks later, the group came back to Munoz. "They said quite a few board members were recommending me for this new position," he said. Studying the job description, he noticed two key elements: relocating to Canton full-time wasn't required, and the work wouldn't interfere with his foundation in the Cincinnati area. "And, it was a lot of stuff I had already been doing for almost 25 years," he added. Munoz was among about 40 applicants. That was the first time he had ever interviewed for a job, and he landed it. "I love everything about my fellow hall of famers, the board, the staff and the City of Canton," Munoz said. "And that's what the job was, being an advocate and doing media and sponsorship and doing appearances. You can't say I'm the face of the Hall of Fame, because we have 171 who are alive who are the face of what we do. "But working with nonprofits and representing the hall in different areas, that's how it came about," he added. "I get to travel around with the president, meet a lot of owners and sit in on corporate meetings. And really, I get to talk football, the Hall of Fame and where we are and the direction we're going — and I'm really enjoying it." The Anthony Munoz Foundation, currently in its 22nd year, covers the tri-state area of Cincinnati, northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana. Its mission is to improve the lives of youths mentally, physically and spiritually through eight programs. The foundation works with nearly 3,000 kids a year in grades K-12. On Oct. 25, 85 high-schoolers participated in a leadership seminar. The foundation offers $20,000 scholarships — which six 2023 graduating seniors were awarded for 2023 — and also has smaller, one-time grants for education costs. As many as eight college students are chosen for internship programs each year. Munoz said that even in the 2020 pandemic, the programs were able to reach more students. The foundation both retained its partners and gained a few more despite the COVID challenges. "It's been phenomenal," Munoz said. "I started eight years after I retired with my wife (DeDe) when (Michelle and Michael) were sophomores and juniors in college. Because when I do something, I want to be totally in, totally engaged. "When I was playing, as a husband, father and NFL football player, I didn't have time to be involved in a foundation. But I knew I could immerse myself then, and my support from my wife and family is great," he added. "I'm there and run some board meetings as a development guy. I have a great staff and I allow them to use their talents. I just oversee things. "That's what motivates me. I love doing it and we have a great platform to impact young people."