Dick Schafrath, left tackle for three Hall of Fame Browns running backs, passes away

Dick Schafrath, who blocked for Browns Hall of Fame running backs Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell and Leroy Kelly and who was the left tackle of the 1964 championship team, has died.

Schafrath passed away Aug. 15. The Wooster native, coached by Woody Hayes at Ohio State and drafted by Browns Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown in the second round in 1959, was 84. He weighed 220 pounds when he was drafted and maxed out at 253 pounds.

Jim Brown wrote the foreward in Schafrath’s 2006 autobiography, “The Heart of a Mule.”

“(Schafrath) was one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever met,” Brown wrote. “He was probably the greatest overachiever I ever met.”

Schafrath played the entirety of his 13-year career with the Browns before retiring after the 1971 season. After not starting a game as a rookie, Schafrath, No. 77 in many Jim Brown highlight reels, started all but one game he played over the next 11 years.

“The Cleveland Browns were saddened to learn of the passing of Dick Schafrath,” the Browns said in a team statement. “He was a Cleveland Brown and Ohioan to his core.

“Schafrath’s unmatched work ethic helped establish what it means to be a Cleveland Brown. He was one of the most decorated offensive linemen in team history, earning numerous Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. He also helped the Browns capture the 1964 NFL Championship and opened holes for three Hall of Fame runners. We send our deepest condolences to his family.”

Schafrath, a six-time Pro Bowl player, was part of a remarkable string of continuity for the Browns at left tackle. Lou Groza anchored the offensive line from 1948-59. Schafrath replaced Groza. Doug Dieken, a rookie in 1971, replaced Schafrath midway through Schafrath’s final season and played left tackle through 1984.

“I always said Dick was my dad and Groza was my grandfather,” Dieken said Aug. 16 in a phone interview. “I hadn’t seen Dick in a couple years. He was a fun guy to be around.

“Unfortunately, I was only around him for a year when we were both playing. When I took over in the middle of my rookie year, Schaf was great. He didn’t resent it or anything. He always tried to help me.”

Dieken still holds the franchise record for playing in 203 consecutive games and 194 consecutive starts.

There was a gap of 23 years between when Dieken retired after 1984 and Joe Thomas was drafted in 2007, but Thomas, who never missed a snap until a triceps injury in the 2017 season ended his career, is part of that continuity at left tackle, too.

“Lou, Schaf and I had close to 40 years,” Dieken said. “When you throw in Joe Thomas, nearly 50 years of the 75 years of the organization was basically four left tackles.”

Schafrath was selected as a Browns legend in 2003. During the ceremony honoring him at halftime of a game that season, Schafrath, 66 at the time, got into a three-point stance as though getting ready to block for Jim Brown one last time.

A year later, at the 40-year reunion honoring the 27-0 championship upset of the Baltimore Colts, Schafrath recalled the championship game.

“I remember before the game looking up into the stands, and I saw my mom up there with my wife,” Schafrath said. “My mom was poking a guy with her umbrella to get him out of her row. A policeman had to help her every time she did that. I could see she was fired up. I told myself, ‘This is going to be our day.’

“We won that game on Tuesday before the game. We were so prepared, so emotionally confident. (Head coach) Blanton Collier had all three units as one. It was a confident mood that team had.”

Schafrath grew up on a farm in Wooster. He had 10 siblings. He said he shared one bed with two brothers.

Saturday was bath night in the Schafrath home. One tub, filled once with steaming hot water, served the whole family. Schafrath said he always worked it so he would bathe last. He felt fortunate if the water was tepid and he could still see the bottom of the tub.

“When I was done in the tub, I ran outside and jumped in the cow trough to wash off,” he said with an easy laugh. “The water was cleaner there. I took my first shower when I made the freshman football team.”

Schafrath was an avid outdoorsman and canoeist. He tried several times to paddle his canoe across Lake Erie to Canada but had to give up each time — one of the few times he ever failed at something.

The owner of a car dealer in Wooster once promised Schafrath free use of a car for a year if he could run from Cleveland Stadium to Wooster High School — a 61-mile jog. Schafrath’s run raised money for charity and, tired as he was, he didn’t stop running until he completed the journey.

“Schaf wasn’t a long distance runner, but he did it,” Dieken said. “By the time he got to training camp my rookie year, his legs were a little tired.”

Schafrath worked on President Ronald Reagan’s reelection campaign in 1984. He was elected to the Ohio Senate in 1986 and served there until retiring from politics in 2003.

It always bothered Schafrath that he left Columbus without getting a college degree. So in 2006, at age 69, he returned to Ohio State to finish what he started 41 years earlier. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports and Leisure Studies. Writing “Heart of a Mule” was part of the course work.