Former Ohio State All-American center Tom DeLeone passed away in his Utah home Sunday after a five-year battle with brain cancer, the school confirmed Monday morning.
Originally from Kent, Ohio, DeLeone played for Woody Hayes from 1969-71. He won two Big Ten championships and the 1970 National Football Foundation national championship with the Buckeyes. DeLeone was also team captain and MVP of the 1971 team.
Ohio State inducted DeLeone into the school's athletic hall of fame in 2002. After he left Columbus, DeLeone was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals. He also played for the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Oilers before 11 seasons with the Cleveland Browns, where he became an integral cog in the franchise's "Kardiac Kids" era. Cleveland christened him a Browns Legend in 2011.
After retiring from football, DeLeone spent 22 years in law enforcement, including stops at the Treasury Department, Customs Service, and F.B.I. He is survived by a wife and three children.
He was 65.
