Francis Lloyd Brazil (April 24, 1906 – April 3, 1965) was an American athlete, coach and athletic director at the University of Detroit for 38 years. He played halfback for the University of Detroit football team from 1927 to 1929 and was selected as an All-American in 1928 and 1929. After graduating, he remained at the University of Detroit and spent his entire professional career there. He served as the head coach of the baseball and basketball teams, assistant coach of the football team, and director of athletics. He was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1961 and the University of Detroit Titans Hall of Fame in 1977.
Biography
Early years
Brazil was a native of Bay City, Michigan, where his father once was a coal miner. He was a star athlete at Flint Central High School where he won ten varsity letters – four in football and three each in basketball and baseball. In two of his seasons at Flint Central, the school won the state football title, and "Brazil's stellar work played a major part in his team's successes."
Football player
After graduating from Flint Central in 1925, Brazil enrolled at the University of Detroit where Notre Dame's All-American quarterback Gus Dorais had taken over as head football coach. In the two years prior to Brazil's joining the team, Dorais' football teams at Detroit had compiled disappointing records of 5–4–0 (1925) and 3–6–0 (1926). Brazil joined the team in 1927, and Brazil led the team to a three-year record of 23–3–1 outscoring opponents 676 to 126. The best season was 1928 when he established an NCAA single-season record with 997 passing yards. He also led the 1928 Detroit team to a perfect 9–0 record, outscoring opponents 267 to 27. During Brazil's time with the team, Detroit compiled a 19-game winning streak that stands unmatched in school history.
During Detroit's undefeated season in 1928, Brazil received widespread media attention, as reflected in the following excerpt:"One of the main reasons why the University of Detroit football team has been unbeaten and untied in its last fourteen starts (eight this season and six last season) is Lloyd Brazil, the blond halfback. Brazil, without a doubt, is one of the best backs of the year. If Detroit had had a more impressive schedule, he would be certain of a place on one or more of the all-American teams of 1928. As it is, Brazil probably will not be entirely overlooked. His work has been so consistently brilliant that he cannot escape attention."
Brazil carried the ball nearly 500 times for the University of Detroit and averaged more than eight yards per carry. He gained 5,861 yards during his three-year collegiate career. Brazil was also regarded as a fine passer, an outstanding defensive player, and "a vicious tackler and blocker." Brazil contributed to the team's success in so many ways that Dorais once remarked, "Brazil would be a valuable man to our team if he never touched the ball." Dorais later said, "As far as I'm concerned, there were only three great collegiate backs in my lifetime – Jim Thorpe, George Gipp and Lloyd Brazil."
In the 1940s, veteran Detroit sports columnist Watson Spoelstra wrote, "Brazil is one of the super athletes with a place among the best in Michigan history." An Associated Press profile of Brazil published in 1961 called him "the ideal football player," noting, "He had all the qualities necessary for success — speed, intelligence, desire and the instinct for doing the right thing at the right time."
An earlier profile of Brazil published by the Associated Press in 1928 focused on his diverse talents:"'Braz,' as he's known to followers of the Tiger aggregation, is one of those triple threat fellows—a runner, passer and kicker. Brazil has a peculiar loping style of covering ground ... He can shift like a flash either way, sidestep onrushing tacklers with the best and uses the straight arm with telling effect. He's especially brilliant on returning punts in the open. 'Braz' also shines as a pass thrower and receiver. But his forte is punting."