1958 Football Team Captain Dick Schafrath Passes Away
8/16/2021 5:53:32 PM | Football
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University Department of Athletics has learned of the passing of three-year football letterman and 1958 team captain Dick Schafrath. A former member of the Department of Athletics contacted Ohio State with the news and then this afternoon the Cleveland Browns, for whom Schafrath was a legendary performer for 13 years, announced his passing on its website. He was 84.
Schafrath was an offensive tackle and a defensive end for coach Woody Hayes, and he played on Ohio State teams that won the 1957 national championship and the 1958 Rose Bowl. He captained the 6-1-2 1958 team along with Frank Kremblas.
After graduation, Schafrath was drafted in the second round by the Cleveland Browns and spent 13 years in the NFL – all with the Browns – playing left tackle. He protected quarterbacks and helped open holes for Hall of Fame running backs Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell and Leroy Kelly.
Schafrath played in the Pro Bowl seven times and was the team’s MVP in 1963. He was elected into the Browns’ Legends Club in 2003.
Schafrath, who was born in Wooster, Ohio, was an NFL assistant coach with the Washington Redskins for six years after retiring from the game. In 1986 he won a seat in the Ohio State Senate and served in the Senate until retiring from politics in 2003.
On Aug. 27, 2006, and at the age of 69, Schafrath graduated from Ohio State with his bachelor’s of science degree. He was inducted into the Ohio State Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
