Cleveland Browns Hall of Fame right guard Gene Hickerson dies at 73

SiperBowl

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Tony Grossi

Plain Dealer Reporter

Election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007 was a bittersweet honor for Browns guard Gene Hickerson, and not because it was long overdue.

Shortly after learning of his election in February 2007, Hickerson was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia and confined to a nursing home.

As his health rapidly declined, family and friends worried Hickerson might not be able to enjoy finally reaching the pinnacle of his career as the sweeping blocker for Hall of Fame backs Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell and Leroy Kelly.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/plaindeale....xml&coll=2

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calfoxwc

Greatest pulling guard ever.

I became a fan of the Cleveland Browns by watching Leroy Kelly run through holes a mile wide that ol' #66 paved open.

Zombo

************************************************

Exactly, I was a young kid, but I had been to Browns games before I was even quite born. We lived in Cleveland..

Leroy Kelly - I admired his style as a person, and as a runner.

But watching the holes open up, most often coutesy of Mr. Hickerson, wow. Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly always gave the

offensive line credit for their careers - especially Gene Hickerson.

ballpeen

Something strange here...I thought he died last year??

ballpeen

@ballpeen said:
Something strange here...I thought he died last year??

Yep...Oct 20, 2008

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Hickerson

At any rate...remembrance is never a bad thing.

R.I.P. Gene

calfoxwc

I was wondering, it was kinda like "deja vu all over again" again.

...figured it was just that I had a weird cold/flu virus or something.

Not bad, but a little temp and feel like DA throws short passes...

ClevelandFanForLife

yeah i thought he passed earlier too. where did this pop up at?

SiperBowl · Yep...Oct 20, 2008

@ballpeen said:
Yep...Oct 20, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Hickerson

At any rate...remembrance is never a bad thing.

R.I.P. Gene

Its the plain dealer... Wednesday, October 21, 2009

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/plaindeale....xml&coll=2

In August, as Brown, Mitchell and Kelly dramatically pushed Hickerson in his wheelchair on stage at the induction ceremony at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Hickerson's eyes caught those of his former teammate, Bobby Franklin. Hickerson then made a gesture with his fingers that Franklin recognized as a personal joke of the two longtime friends.
"He really knew what was going on," said Hickerson's son, Bob.

Hickerson died peacefully in an Olmsted Falls nursing home Monday morning from complications from Alzheimer's. He was 73

ballpeen

@clevelandfanforlife said:
yeah i thought he passed earlier too. where did this pop up at?

It was up earlier, and still is on Cleveland.com.

Someone is asleep at the wheel over there.

SiperBowl

@ballpeen said:
It was up earlier, and still is on Cleveland.com.
Someone is asleep at the wheel over there.

tony grossi?

NigelTufnel

April fools!

FALCON7

Man......I thought was becoming the next Alzheimer's disease victim.

ballpeen

@siperbowl said:
tony grossi?

he wrote the article a year ago...some asst copy editor was sleeping when they posted this.

The date was changed...maybe some employee with a grudge and the copy was pasted to the site.

yosemitejam

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http://www.cleveland.com/browns/plaindeale....xml&coll=2

what a remarkable photo of a grreat Brown.........

what about a regular thread memorializing our Browns heros on the anniversary of their deaths????? kinda like a daily inspiration....

forget about using cleveland.com as a resource......they'd have the death dates all f%cked away........

it's an outrage