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When the Cleveland Browns took the field for their very first game on September 6, 1946, Lou Groza converted three field goals and five extra points during a 44-0 victory over the Miami Seahawks.
With the exception of the 1960 season, when Groza took a one-year retirement, it wasn’t until September 15, 1968, that the Browns had to worry about the placekicking position.
Related: The best player to wear No. 11 in Browns history
That season, with Groza truly retired, the Browns turned to Don Cockroft, who sat behind Groza for a season after being selected in the third round of the 1967 NFL Draft.
Cockroft would hold down the job for the next 13 seasons — starting his career as a teammate to Leroy Kelly, Paul Warfield and Gary Collins, and ending it with Brian Sipe, Greg Pruitt and Ozzie Newsome - while also serving as the team’s punter for nine seasons, making him the choice as the best player to wear uniform No. 12 in franchise history.
While he never made a Pro Bowl, Cockroft kicked for the Browns in playoff games in three decades, led the NFL in extra points made in 1969, and field goal percentage three times — in 1968, 1972 and 1974.
He is third on the franchise’s all-time list for career field goals attempted and field goals made, trailing just Groza and Phil Dawson; first in career punting yards; and third in career points scored.
Cockroft was also part of some of the most memorable games in Browns history, as he:
- made five extra points and a field goal in a 1969 playoff win over the Dallas Cowboys, the last time the Browns won a road playoff game;
- converted four extra points and a field goal against the New York Jets in 1970 the first Monday Night Football game;
- had a punt blocked for a touchdown in Cleveland’s six-point loss to the undefeated Miami Dolphins in the 1972 playoffs;
- hit the game-winning field goal in the first overtime game in franchise history, a win over the New England Patriots in 1977;
- missed two field goals in frozen conditions against the Oakland Raiders in a playoff game following the 1980 season.
The Browns may not have been able to recapture their glory days during Cockroft’s tenure, but his play makes him a deserving selection as the best player to wear No. 12 in franchise history.
Honorable mention: wide receiver Josh Gordon, who had the most unbelievable season in 2013 when he led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards despite playing just 14 games; quarterback Don Strock, who came to the rescue in 1988 when the Browns were out of quarterbacks and led the Browns into the playoffs; and quarterback Vinny Testaverde, who was the quarterback in 1994 when the Browns last won a playoff game.
Poll
Who is the best player to wear No. 12 in Browns history?
This poll is closed
-
64%
Don Cockroft
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20%
Josh Gordon
-
0%
KhaDarel Hodge
-
0%
Luke McCown
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1%
Colt McCoy
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1%
Syndric Steptoe
-
1%
Don Strock
-
10%
Vinny Testaverde
-
0%
Rick Trocano