Cleveland Browns: 5 best second-round picks of all-time
By Thomas Moore
Dick Schafrath arrived in Cleveland in the fall of 1959 as the heir to Hall of Fame left tackle Lou Groza, taking over the job for the start of the 1960 season and holding down the position for more than a decade.
The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Schafrath was a key member of a Browns offensive line that opened the holes to allow Jim Brown to lead the league in rushing six times and Leroy Kelly to lead it twice as teammates of Schafrath. He was also the blindside protector – during a time when pass rushers were far more violent – for quarterbacks Milt Plum, Frank Ryan and Bill Nelsen, keeping them clean enough to earn a combined six trips to the Pro Bowl.
Schafrath made just as many trips to the Pro Bowl, earning a spot every season from 1963 through 1968, in addition to being a first-team All-NFL selection from 1963 to 1965 and again in 1969. He was also as durable as he was talented, playing in 161 out of a possible 164 games in his career.
He was also a member of the 1964 NFL title-winning Browns, still the last Cleveland team to win a championship, as well as the 1957 national championship team at Ohio State.
“When I look back on my career, I must have done a few good things,” Schafrath told The Plain Dealer in 2014. “I thank the Lord that I was never injured and I was lucky enough to play in those two games.”
He was inducted into the team’s Legends Program in 2003.
Next: Defensive tackle Walter Johnson (1965 to 1976)