Frank Gatski, 83, Pro Bowl Center
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
Hall of Fame center Frank Gatski, a powerful blocker who played in 10 straight championship games for the Cleveland Browns, died Tuesday in Morgantown, W.Va. He was 83.
“Gunner” Gatski anchored a line that by the end of his career included Hall of Fame tackles Lou Groza and Mike McCormack. He also played alongside former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll, a Browns guard, and snapped the ball to Hall of Fame quarterback Otto Graham.
The Cleveland teams of the late 1940s and 1950s, coached by offensive mastermind Paul Brown, dominated the All-America Football Conference and later the NFL. Gatski and the Browns won four AAFC championships and NFL titles in 1950, 1954, and 1955.
Gatski joined Detroit after the Browns failed to make the 1956 title game – the only time in his 12 pro seasons that he didn’t play for a championship. In 1957, with Gatski at center, Detroit beat Cleveland 59-14 to win the league title. Gatski retired after playing in the Pro Bowl that season.
“He was like a polished stone, very strong in the middle,” said wide receiver Dante Lavelli, another Browns Hall of Famer.
Gatski began his career as a linebacker before moving to offense, where for a decade Gatski provided protection for Graham.
Gatski was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
In October, Gatski’s no. 72 jersey became the first number retired by Marshall, where he played for three seasons.
The son of a coal miner killed in a mining accident, Gatski never missed a game in 20 seasons – high school, college (Marshall, Auburn), and the pros (Browns, 1946-56).