Leo Brown, Ohio State's first African-American captain and a member of the Buckeyes' 1957 national championship team, died this past weekend at his home in Lakewood, Colorado, according to a release from the Ohio State athletic department.
Brown was 84.
A native of Portsmouth, Ohio, Brown was a three-year letterman for the Buckeyes from 1955-57, in which the Buckeyes won a Big Ten title in 1955, set a Big Ten record with 17 consecutive conference wins in 1956 and were named national champions by United Press International (along with winning another Big Ten championship) in 1957.
A two-way player for the Buckeyes, Brown was one of three first-team All-Big Ten selections on the 1957 team as well as one of two team captains, along with Galen Cisco.
Following his Ohio State career, Brown enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, in which he worked as a maxillofacial surgeon for more than 20 years before retiring as a colonel.
Services for Brown will be held Monday at St. Paul's Community Church in Lakewood, Colo., with a military burial service to follow at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver.
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was among those who shared their condolences for Brown's family on Thursday.
Thoughts and prayers with the loved ones of National Champion Leo Brown, the first African-American captain at Ohio State. One of the Buckeye greats. Thank you for your service to our university and this great country! pic.twitter.com/MHXpa0vvS9
— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) March 21, 2018
