Tony Adamle Anthony " Tony " Adamle ( May 15 , 1924 – October 7 , 2000 ) was a professional American football linebacker and fullback in the All - America Football Conference ( AAFC ) and the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played his entire career for the Cleveland Browns before retiring to pursue a medical degree . Adamle grew up in Cleveland , Ohio and was a star fullback on his high school football team . He attended Ohio State University in 1942 , but his college career was cut short by World War II . After a stint in the U . S . Air Force , Adamle returned to finish his education at Ohio State in 1946 . He soon dropped out of school , however , and joined the Browns . Cleveland won AAFC championships in each of Adamle ' s first three years , after which the league folded and the Browns were absorbed by the more established NFL . Cleveland continued to succeed in the NFL , winning the 1950 championship and advancing to the 1951 championship but losing to the Los Angeles Rams . Adamle left the Browns after the 1951 season to pursue a medical degree , but he came out of retirement briefly in 1954 as the Browns won another NFL championship . Adamle left football for good after the season , earning a medical degree from Western Reserve University in Cleveland in 1956 . He settled with his family in Kent , Ohio , where he ran a medical practice up until his death in 2000 . He was a team physician for his local high school and for Kent State University for more than 35 years . Adamle ' s son Mike played in the NFL as a fullback in the 1970s before retiring and becoming a sports broadcaster . Early life and high school . Adamle was born in Fairmont , West Virginia to immigrants from Slovenia . His family moved to Cleveland when he was a child , and he attended Collinwood High School on the city ' s east side . Adamle was a standout fullback on his high school team and made a Cleveland - area All - Star sq in 1941 . " Adamle is without question the best high school player I have ever seen , " a Cleveland sports editor said after he was chosen as an all - star . " If Tony gets to play college football in the next four years , he is certain to be Cleveland ' s one safe bet as an All - America n possibility . " College and military career . Adamle attended Ohio State University and was on the 1942 Ohio State Buckeyes freshman team , but left school prior to the 1943 season to fight in World War II . After serving in the U . S . Air Force in the Mediterranean Theatre of War , he returned to Ohio State for the 1946 season — his only season with the varsity Buckeyes . Playing as a center in a November game against the Northwestern Wildcats , Adamle intercepted a Frank Aschenbrenner pass in the third quarter and returned it 38 yards . He had another interception in the fourth quarter of the 39 – 27 Buckeyes victory . Ohio State finished the season with a 4 – 3 – 2 record and Adamle was selected to play in the College All - Star Game , a now - defunct matchup between the National Football League ( NFL ) champion and a selection of the best college players from around the country . Professional career . Adamle was eligible to play for the Buckeyes again in 1947 , but decided to drop out of school and join the Cleveland Browns of the All - America Football Conference ( AAFC ) . Adamle had been selected with the 105th pick in the 1947 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears . He told Cleveland head coach Paul Brown , who coached Ohio State ' s varsity team between 1941 and 1943 , that he would join the Bears if the Browns did not sign him . " I would be a pretty sick fellow today , knowing what I do about Tony , if George Halas had gotten him , " Brown said before the season began . Adamle ' s decision to drop out was controversial because of rules that under normal circumstances would have barred him from playing professionally before graduating . The interruption of the war had forced the suspension of the rule to account for players ' military service , however , and he was allowed to leave college . The Browns denied that they encouraged Adamle to drop out . Adamle may have been convinced to join the Browns by Gene Fekete , Dante Lavelli , Lou Groza and Bill Willis , four Browns players who were back at Ohio State to finish their studies after the 1946 season . With the Browns , Adamle played at first as a fullback . He competed with Marion Motley at the position , and said he was " not working to be a second - stringer " . Adamle was a straight - talker and was not afraid to stand up to Brown , a cold disciplinarian . Brown was impressed with Adamle ' s candor and held him in respect . Before a game against the Chicago Rockets in October 1947 , Adamle replaced Motley as the team ' s starting fullback . Brown said that while he had not given up on Motley , the former starter had " made a few mistakes lately that hurt us " and thought competition would be helpful . Behind a strong offense led by quarterback Otto Graham , the Browns went on to finish the 1947 season with a 12 – 1 – 1 record and win the AAFC championship game against the New York Yankees . Adamle returned to Ohio State in the offseason to continue his studies . By the following year , Adamle was being used mostly on defense as a left - side linebacker , and Motley was again the team ' s primary fullback . Cleveland had a perfect season in 1948 , winning all of its games and beating the Buffalo Bills in the championship . Adamle filled in for an injured Motley at fullback for several games the following year while continuing to play as a linebacker . Cleveland again won the AAFC championship in 1949 , but the league then folded and the Browns were absorbed by the more established NFL . Cleveland ' s success continued in the NFL as Adamle was named team captain , replacing Lou Saban following his retirement . The team won the 1950 NFL Championship Game , and Adamale was one of seven Browns players chosen to play in the first Pro Bowl , football ' s all - star game . Adamle was again chosen for the Pro Bowl in 1951 , when the Browns reached the championship game but lost to the Los Angeles Rams . He was also named a consensus first - team All - Pro by sportswriters after the season . Adamle finished college at Kent State University in 1950 , earning a bachelor ' s degree , and received a master ' s degree in education from Western Reserve University in Cleveland in 1951 . Upset by Brown ' s criticisms of the defense in the 1951 championship game , Adamle left the Browns before the next season to enter medical school . Brown nevertheless traded the rights to Adamle to the Green Bay Packers as part of a deal that brought defensive back Ace Loomis to Cleveland . " We know Adamle is determined to enter medical school and informed the Packers it is very unlikely he would play any more football , " Brown said . The Packers hoped to get him to play part - time while he was in school . Adamle spent most of 1952 working as an orderly at Glenville Hospital in Cleveland , entering Western Reserve ' s medical school in September . Adamle came out of retirement to play for the Browns at 30 years old in October of 1954 . He had been working as a scout for the Chicago Cardinals and was in his third year of medical school ; he agreed to come back on the condition that he would only practice once a week so he could continue his studies . Cleveland reached the championship game and beat the Detroit Lions , 56 – 10 . Medical career . Adamle quit football for good after the season and focused on his medial career . He received a medical degree from Western Reserve in 1956 . He settled in Kent , Ohio , where he ran a medical practice for the rest of his life . He also served as the team doctor for Theodore Roosevelt High School and Kent State University for more than 35 years . Adamle specialized in knee and neck injuries , and published articles about cold therapy and the use of Vitamin C in sports medicine . The Ohio High School Athletic Association named him the state ' s Outstanding Team Physician in 1983 . Later life and death . Adamle died in 2000 after a seven - year battle with cancer . His son , Mike Adamle , was a running back at Roosevelt High School and Northwestern University , and played professionally as a fullback for the Kansas City Chiefs , New York Jets and Chicago Bears in the 1970s before becoming a sports broadcaster .