Vikings mourn deaths of former players Joey Browner, Jeff Siemon

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings are mourning the deaths of former players Joey Browner and Jeff Siemon.

Joey Browner dies at 65

What we know:

Former Vikings’ safety Joey Browner died Saturday. He was 65 years old.

Browner is a member of the Vikings Ring of Honor, and among the 50 Greatest Vikings. Browner was a first round pick by the Vikings in 1983 out of USC, and is the first defensive back in franchise history to be a first round pick.

In 138 regular season games and 115 starts for the Vikings, Browner had 37 interceptions, forced 18 fumbles and had 17 fumble recoveries. He played in every game in his rookie year and had two interceptions, and recovered four fumbles.

He became a full-time starter by his third NFL season, and made six straight Pro Bowls. He also earned four straight All-Pro selections, and led the defense in tackles in 1986 and 1987. Browner played nine seasons for the Vikings.

Jeff Siemon dies at 75

The backstory:

The Vikings are also mourning the death of Jeff Siemon, who passed away Saturday. He was 75 years old.

The middle linebacker was the No. 10 overall pick in 1972 and was named one of the 50 Greatest Vikings at the team’s 2010 celebration. Siemon is third in franchise history with 1,375 career tackles, behind only Scott Studwell and Matt Blair.

He earned three straight Pro Bowl selections for the Vikings from 1975-77, and started in three straight Super Bowls. He started eight of 13 games as a rookie and had 87 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and two interceptions. He led the defense in tackles in just his second season.

Siemon played 156 regular season games for the Vikings, with 124 starts.