Former Cleveland Browns center Tom DeLeone passed away early Sunday morning after a battle with brain cancer.
He was 65.
DeLeone graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent, Ohio in 1968.
He then went on to play football at Ohio State University. He was named the team's Most Valuable Player during his senior year.
He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1972. He became a Cleveland Brown in 1974.
He played 176 games for the Browns and started in 104.
The two-time Pro Bowler played 11 seasons for the Browns before retiring in 1984. He was a member of the popular Kardiac Kids when he played in Cleveland.
“He was as feisty as they could be,” said Doug Dieken, a longtime teammate and fellow member of the Kardiac Kids offensive line. “He played for Woody (Hayes) and was gung ho Ohio State. He was just a great teammate. If you were going to get in a fight, you wanted Tom on your side.”
In 1976, he received the George Halas Award, recognizing the NFL's most courageous player, after losing his first wife to cancer.
He was only 6'2" and 248 pounds, but the team says he made up for it in toughness and grit.
“He utilized his skill set,” Dieken said. “He wasn't the biggest guy in the world, he wasn't the strongest guy in the world but he was probably the quickest center in the league and he maximized that and he maximized the use of leverage. He knew who to block and he's calling out the blocking assignments between him and Robert Jackson. They were like the computer chips on the offensive line. He played hard and he played well. He was tough as can be. He was just a super tough guy.”
He was inducted into the Cleveland Browns Legends in 2011, The Ohio State University Men's Varsity "O" Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Kent City School District's Hall of Fame for his athletic accomplishments.
The Kent City School's Hall of Fame archives read:
"A standout athlete at Roosevelt in football, basketball and track, Tom DeLeone, class of 1968, played starting center for the Ohio State Buckeyes for three years. He was named All Big Ten and First Team All American at OSU and inducted into The Ohio State University Football Hall of Fame in 2002."
Later in life, DeLeone worked as a criminal investigator with the U.S. Department of Treasury. He retired in 2007 and became a substitute teacher and assistant high school football coach in Park City, Utah.
He is survived by his wife and three children.
