American football player, Dick Modzelewski, Died at 87

  Sports

Richard Blair Modzelewski was born on February 16, 1931, and died on October 19, 2018.

He was an American football player.

Dick Modzelewski was an American football defensive tackle in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, and the Cleveland Browns.

Modzelewski was appointed as the head coach of the Browns in the final game of the 1977 season.

He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

He was raised in West Natrona, Pennsylvania as one of six children, he was a three-sport athlete at Har-Brack High School (now Highlands High School).

Dick and his brother, Ed, played college football at the University of Maryland.

As he was about to start his sophomore season, Modzelewski moved into the starting lineup after an injury to the Terrapins’ Ray Krouse.

Modzelewski would keep that status for the next three years, winning All-American honors as both a junior and senior, while also capturing the 1952 Outland Trophy.

During 1951, in a game against the University of North Carolina, Modzelewski paced a defense with 12 solo tackles, while the team held the Tar Heels to just 40 yards of offense.

When the season was done, Maryland was ranked third in the country and knocked off the top-ranked University of Tennessee Volunteers in the Sugar Bowl.

He was appointed the scout for the Browns in 1967, then joined the team’s on-field staff the following year as defensive line coach.

Following two solid years in which the team again reached the NFL Championship game, the Browns’ fortunes declined over the next five years, with a then-team-worst 3-11 record in 1975 forcing head coach Forrest Gregg to make changes.

In 1983 season, following a failed game, Gregg left to take over his dream job: head coach of the Green Bay Packers, then brought Modzelewski with him to again serve as defensive line coach.

Eventually, he served as the team’s defensive coordinator, but after four frustrating years, Gregg resigned and Modzelewski landed with the Lions in 1988 as the defensive line tutor.

Modzelewski spent two years in that role until announcing his retirement.

Dick Modzelewski passed away at 87 years old.

LEAVE A COMMENT

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.