Gorgal was selected by the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League in the sixth round of the 1950 draft. The Browns were set to begin their first season in the NFL after transferring from the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), which had disbanded the previous year. The team had won each of the AAFC's championships in its four years of existence. Gorgal was given a $5,900-a-year contract with a $200 bonus and made Cleveland's roster as a starter in his rookie year, supplanting long-time safety Cliff Lewis. While Gorgal was large in stature for a safety of the era – he was six feet, two inches tall and weighed about 200 pounds – he had six interceptions in 1950, second on the team to Tommy James's nine. Led by an offense that featured quarterback Otto Graham, fullback Marion Motley and ends Dante Lavelli and Mac Speedie, the Browns finished with a 10–2 record and won the NFL championship by beating the Los Angeles Rams.