Cleveland Browns: 15 greatest offensive linemen of all-time
By Randy Gurzi
4. player. 53. . Tackle. (1954-62). Mike McCormack
Greatest offensive lineman in Cleveland Browns history: #4. Mike McCormack
A Pro Football Hall of Famer who played nine seasons for the Browns (from 1954 through 1962) had an interesting start to his career. Mike McCormack was originally drafted by the then-New York Yanks in 1951, but then went to serve in the Korean War.
His team moved to Dallas while he was gone and became the Dallas Texans. However, they folded after one season. So when McCormack returned to the states, he was a man without a team.
Now a free agent, he signed with the then-Baltimore Colts, but never played for them. That was because Paul Brown made a trade for McCormack, who was a defensive lineman at the time. While serving in that role, he made a huge fumble recovery against the Detroit Lions, which helped Cleveland win a title in 1954.
Despite his positive play on that side of the ball, McCormack was moved to offensive tackle in 1955 — the same position he played as a rookie with the Yanks. He spent the remainder of his career as a right tackle, playing until the age of 32. He finished his playing career with six Pro Bowl nods and won two NFL Championships.
McCormack got into coaching when his playing days were done and had three head coaching stints. From 1973 through 1975, he was with the Philadelphia Eagles. From 1980 to 1981, he was the head coach of the Colts. Then in 1982, he took over as the Seattle Seahawks’ shot caller.
He was never able to record a winning season, however. McCormack finished 29-51-1 with his best record being a 7-7 campaign in Philadelphia during the 1974 NFL season.
Following his coaching days, he moved into a general manager role with Seattle. He was later the president and general manager for the Carolina Panthers during their inception, finally retiring in 1997.