Jim Daniell James Lachlan " Big Jim " Daniell ( April 10 , 1918December 13 , 1983 ) was an American football offensive tackle and defensive tackle who played two years in the National Football League ( NFL ) and All - America Football Conference ( AAFC ) . Daniell played high school football for Mt . Lebanon High School and The Kiski School in Pennsylvania . After graduating , he attended Ohio State University and played college football for the Ohio State Buckyes between 1938 and 1941 . He was selected in the 12th round of the 1942 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears , but delayed a professional career to work for his family ' s steel business and serve in the U . S . Navy during World War II . Daniell was deployed in the Pacific theater and fought in the Battle of Okinawa . He rose to the rank of lieutenant and was awarded numerous service star s for his role in combat . After the war , Daniell played for the Bears in part of the 1945 season before joining the AAFC ' s Cleveland Browns the following year , serving as the team ' s first captain . While the Browns reached the AAFC championship in 1946 , Daniell was kicked off the team before the title game by head coach Paul Brown when he was arrested following a confrontation with Cleveland police . Daniell left football after the season and became a steel company executive in Pennsylvania . He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1977 . Early life and high school . Daniell grew up in Mt . Lebanon , Pennsylvania , a suburb of Pittsburgh and attended Mt . Lebanon High School . In 1936 , he transferred to the The Kiski School in Saltsburg , Pennsylvania , a boarding school where he played as a tackle on the football team . College and military career . After graduating from high school , Daniell went to Ohio State University and played tackle for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team beginning as a sophomore in 1939 . He played on Ohio State teams that won the Big Ten Conference championship in 1939 and had a 6 – 1 – 1 record in 1941 . As a senior in 1941 , Daniell blocked a punt in a game against Purdue University that resulted in a safety and made the difference in a 16 – 14 victory . He was named an All - America n after the season . Daniell was selected by the Chicago Bears in the 1942 NFL Draft , but he delayed his professional career to go back to Pittsburgh and work at the Alloy Manufacturing Company , which his father founded in the 1930s and he and his brother operated . After America ' s involvement in World War II intensified following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 , Daniell entered the U . S . Navy and was sent to fight in the Pacific War . Daniell was stationed aboard two destroyer s that were sunk . In one battle he and his men shot down 23 planes in an hour and 20 minutes , which was thought to be a record for a single engagement . Daniell rose to the rank of lieutenant during his 45 months in the Navy and participated in the Battle of Okinawa . He earned a Silver Star , a Bronze Star , a Presidential Unit Citation and several more service star s . Professional career . Daniell was discharged from the Navy in late 1945 and spent part of one season playing for the Bears . He was named a second - team All - Pro despite playing only seven games . He signed with the Cleveland Browns in late 1945 as the team , coached by Paul Brown , built up a roster for its first season in the All - America Football Conference . Daniell ' s salary was $ 9 , 000 a year ( $ in dollars ) , plus $ 1 , 000 for serving as the Browns ' first captain as the team finished the 1946 season with a 12 – 2 record and earned a spot in the AAFC championship . Before the AAFC championship game in December , Daniell was arrested along with teammates Lou Rymkus and Mac Speedie following an altercation with Cleveland police . Speedie , Rymkus , Daniell and Edgar Jones were drinking and waiting for Speedie ' s wife to arrive on a flight from Utah . They dropped Jones off and came up behind a police car that was blocking their way . Daniell , who was driving the car , honked the horn , and an argument ensued that ended with the arrest of all three men . Daniell was booked on public intoxication , and Speedie and Rymkus were charged with creating a disturbance . Paul Brown fired Daniell after the incident , saying he had " a special obligation to be exemplary in his behavior " because he was the team captain . The Browns went on to beat the AAFC ' s New York Yankees for the title in 1946 . Daniell was traded to the AAFC ' s Chicago Rockets in 1947 along with end John Harrington for halfback Bill Boedeker , but he did not play in a game for the Rockets . Later life and death . Following his football career , Daniell went back to Mt . Lebanon and coached football at his old high school while working as a steel company executive . He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1977 ; his brother Ave Daniell also made it to the hall of fame , having starred as a tackle for the University of Pittsburgh . Daniell died in 1983 .