Ollie Cline Oliver Monroe " Ollie " Cline ( December 31 , 1925 – May 12 , 2001 ) was a college and professional American football fullback who played for the Ohio State Buckeyes , Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions in the 1940s and 1950s . A standout high school athlete in his hometown of Fredericktown , Ohio , Cline attended Ohio State University starting in 1944 . He became the football team ' s primary fullback that year as the school went unbeaten and was ranked second in the nation in the AP Poll . The following year , Cline was named the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference , rushing for 936 yards as Ohio State built up a 7 – 2 record and was ranked 12th in the AP Poll . Following a brief stint in the U . S . Army at the end of World War II , Cline returned to Ohio State for a final season in 1947 . Cline began his professional career by signing with the Browns , a team in the All - America Football Conference ( AAFC ) coached by former Ohio State head coach Paul Brown . Cleveland won all of its games and the AAFC championship in 1948 while Cline served as a backup to fullback Marion Motley . After the season , Cleveland traded Cline to the Buffalo Bills , but he spent only a year there before moving to the Lions in the National Football League . The Lions won the NFL Championship Game in 1952 and 1953 , beating the Browns both times . Cline then retired from football and got a master ' s degree in education . He later worked at a variety of school systems in Ohio and Arizona . Cline was inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame and was named to the Ohio State Football All - Century Team in 2000 . He died in 2001 . Early life and college career . Cline grew up in Fredericktown , Ohio and attended the local Fredericktown High School , where he played on the football team as a back . In a 1942 game against Mount Gilead High School , he scored seven touchdowns and kicked two extra points , scoring 44 total points in a 79 – 6 victory . After graduating from high school , Cline attended Ohio State University and played on the school ' s football team starting as a freshman in 1944 . Although he was overshadowed by teammate Les Horvath , who won the Heisman Trophy that year , Cline was the team ' s starting fullback and ran for 221 yards on 65 carries , scoring 39 points . The Buckeyes won the Big Ten Conference championship with an undefeated 9 - 0 record and were ranked second in the country in the AP Poll . The 1945 season was the most productive of Cline ' s college career . He led the Big Ten in rushing with 936 yards , at the time a school record , and scored nine touchdowns . Cline rushed for 229 yards in a November game against the University of Pittsburgh , setting an Ohio State single - game record that stood for 27 years until Archie Griffin broke it in 1972 . The Buckeyes finished with a 7 – 2 record for third in the Big Ten and were ranked 12th in the AP Poll . Cline was awarded the Chicago Tribune Silver Football , given to the most valuable player in the Big Ten . He was named a second - team All - America n by the Associated Press and a third - team All - American by the Football Writers Association of America . Cline was accepted for military service before the 1945 season , but was not called up for duty until the following February . Cline , who had been passed over by the U . S . Army twice because of a punctured ear drum , was sent to Camp Atterbury , a training base in Indiana . When the war ended , Cline returned to Ohio State in 1947 and rushed for 332 yards and two touchdowns in eight games . The team finished the season with a 2 – 6 – 1 record . Professional career . Cline decided to begin his professional career in 1948 despite that he had a year of college eligibility remaining . The move upset some Ohio State supporters worried about the team ' s loss of talent , but Cline said he wanted to go pro because he was getting married and needed to start making money . He had been drafted by the National Football League ' s Chicago Bears , but signed instead with the Cleveland Browns of the All - America Football Conference ( AAFC ) , a team coached by former Ohio State coach Paul Brown . " I plan to be married in June , " Cline said at the time . " I feel I have a great opportunity with the Browns , and I ' ve always wanted to play for Paul Brown . I feel that I have made the only logical decision . " Although Brown ' s tenure as Ohio State coach predated Cline ' s career there , Brown said he had followed Cline with interest . " Ollie isn ' t big , as pro fullbacks go , but he can run – and I like ' em when they can run , " Brown said . In the Browns , Cline joined a team that had won the AAFC championships 1946 and 1947 behind an offensive attack that featured quarterback Otto Graham , fullback Marion Motley and ends Dante Lavelli and Mac Speedie . Serving as a backup to Motley , Cline ran for 129 yards in 1948 , when Cleveland went undefeated and won the AAFC championship for the third time in a row . Despite Cline ' s ties to Brown and Ohio State , Cleveland traded him to the Buffalo Bills after the season . He responded by turning in the best year of his professional career , running for 518 yards and three touchdowns . The Bills faced the Browns three times that year , tying twice and losing once in a playoff game . Buffalo finished with a 5 – 5 – 2 record and did not reach the league championship game . After the season , Cline moved to the Detroit Lions of the NFL and played for the team for four seasons . Led by quarterback Bobby Layne and halfback Doak Walker , the Lions won the NFL championship in 1952 and 1953 , beating the Browns both times . Later career and death . After his playing career , Cline received a master ' s degree in education from Ohio ' s Wittenberg University in 1965 . His educational career took him to posts at school systems in Springfield , Ohio , Sidney , Ohio , Mount Vernon , Ohio and Prescott , Arizona . By the early 1970s , he was principal of North Union High School in Richwood , Ohio . He also served as the dean of men at Urbana College in Urbana , Ohio . Cline was inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame and named to the Ohio State Football All - Century Team in 2000 . He died in 2001 . His hometown of Fredericktown declared January 20 , 2001 " Ollie Cline Day " in his honor .