Don Fleming
Encyclopedia
Donald Denver "Don" Fleming (June 11, 1937 – June 4, 1963) was an American college and professional football
player who was a defensive back
in the National Football League
(NFL) for three seasons in the early 1960s. Fleming played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Cleveland Browns
of the NFL. His professional football career was cut short by his accidental death in 1963.
in 1937. He attended Shadyside High School
in Shadyside, Ohio
, where he was a standout prep player for the Shadyside Tigers high school football
team.
in Gainesville, Florida
, where he played for coach Bob Woodruff's Florida Gators football
team from 1956 to 1958. Fleming was the Gators' team captain
in 1958, and he finished his college football career as a first-team All-Southeastern Conference
(SEC) selection. Woodruff ranked him as the Gators' best receiver of the 1950s.
The Chicago Cardinals drafted Fleming following his senior
football season, but he chose to remain in school and exhaust his remaining NCAA baseball eligibility playing for coach Dave Fuller
's Florida Gators baseball
team. He was the captain of the Gators baseball team, and led the Gators in home run
s and stolen base
s.
, but he remained at the University of Florida and did not play during the NFL season. He successfully urged Chicago management to trade him to the Cleveland Browns before the start of the season. Fleming was a close friend of another Browns defensive back, Bernie Parrish
, a fellow Florida graduate, and the two were said to be almost inseparable during the NFL season. Over the following three years, Fleming played regularly at safety, intercepted
ten passes, recovered four fumble
s, and made The Sporting News
All-NFL
team in .
during the NFL off-season. As a 25-year-old NFL All-Pro, Fleming was already planning ahead for the day when his professional football career ended. He had majored in building construction at the University of Florida, and had been working as a foreman for a Central Florida construction company during the off-season to stay in shape and gain industry experience. On June 4, 1963, Fleming and a co-worker were operating a crane on a construction site west of Orlando, Florida
, when the boom of the crane brushed an overhead 12,000-volt high-tension electrical transmission line. Fleming and his co-worker were electrocuted
, and attempts to revive them at the hospital failed.
Earlier the same day, the Browns had announced that Fleming had signed his contract for the 1963 season. His death came only seventeen days after that of Ernie Davis
, the overall No. 1 pick in the 1962 NFL Draft
, whom the Browns had acquired in a trade. The Browns retired both Davis' uniform number "45" and Fleming's "46" in memory of the players. Fleming Field at Shadyside High School, Fleming's alma mater
, is named in his memory. When the Browns practiced at Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (Hiram College), the field house they used also carried Fleming's name.
Fleming was nominated for the Florida Sports Hall of Fame within days of his death, and he was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who was a defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) for three seasons in the early 1960s. Fleming played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL. His professional football career was cut short by his accidental death in 1963.
Early life
Fleming was born in Bellaire, OhioBellaire, Ohio
Bellaire is a village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,278 at the 2010 census. The village is located along the Ohio River...
in 1937. He attended Shadyside High School
Shadyside High School (Ohio)
Shadyside High School is a public high school in Shadyside, Ohio. It is located at 3890 Lincoln Avenue, 43947. It is the only high school in the Shadyside Local Schools district. School colors are orange and black. Shadyside plays in the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference.Shadyside High School...
in Shadyside, Ohio
Shadyside, Ohio
Shadyside is a village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, where he was a standout prep player for the Shadyside Tigers high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
team.
College career
Fleming attended the University of FloridaUniversity of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he played for coach Bob Woodruff's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
team from 1956 to 1958. Fleming was the Gators' team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
in 1958, and he finished his college football career as a first-team All-Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) selection. Woodruff ranked him as the Gators' best receiver of the 1950s.
The Chicago Cardinals drafted Fleming following his senior
Senior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
football season, but he chose to remain in school and exhaust his remaining NCAA baseball eligibility playing for coach Dave Fuller
Dave Fuller
Dave Fuller was an American college baseball coach who led the Florida Gators baseball team of the University of Florida for twenty-eight seasons.- Early life and education :...
's Florida Gators baseball
Florida Gators baseball
The Florida Gators baseball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of baseball. The Florida Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association , and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference . They play their home games in Alfred A...
team. He was the captain of the Gators baseball team, and led the Gators in home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s.
Professional career
Fleming was selected by the Chicago Cardinals in the twenty-eighth round (327th pick overall) of the 1959 NFL Draft1959 NFL Draft
The 1959 National Football League Draft was held on December 2, 1958 and January 21, 1959 .-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:...
, but he remained at the University of Florida and did not play during the NFL season. He successfully urged Chicago management to trade him to the Cleveland Browns before the start of the season. Fleming was a close friend of another Browns defensive back, Bernie Parrish
Bernie Parrish
Bernard Paul "Bernie" Parrish is a former American college and professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League and American Football League for eight seasons during the 1950s and 1960s...
, a fellow Florida graduate, and the two were said to be almost inseparable during the NFL season. Over the following three years, Fleming played regularly at safety, intercepted
Interception (football)
An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...
ten passes, recovered four fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
s, and made The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
All-NFL
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
team in .
Accidental death and legacy
Fleming, his wife Rosalie and their son Ty lived in his hometown of Shadyside, Ohio during football season, and in Winter Park, FloridaWinter Park, Florida
Winter Park is a suburban city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,090 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 28,083. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
during the NFL off-season. As a 25-year-old NFL All-Pro, Fleming was already planning ahead for the day when his professional football career ended. He had majored in building construction at the University of Florida, and had been working as a foreman for a Central Florida construction company during the off-season to stay in shape and gain industry experience. On June 4, 1963, Fleming and a co-worker were operating a crane on a construction site west of Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, when the boom of the crane brushed an overhead 12,000-volt high-tension electrical transmission line. Fleming and his co-worker were electrocuted
Electric shock
Electric Shock of a body with any source of electricity that causes a sufficient current through the skin, muscles or hair. Typically, the expression is used to denote an unwanted exposure to electricity, hence the effects are considered undesirable....
, and attempts to revive them at the hospital failed.
Earlier the same day, the Browns had announced that Fleming had signed his contract for the 1963 season. His death came only seventeen days after that of Ernie Davis
Ernie Davis
Ernest "Ernie" Davis was an American football running back and the first African-American athlete to win the Heisman Trophy. Wearing number 44, Davis competed collegiately for Syracuse University before being drafted by the Washington Redskins, then almost immediately traded to the Cleveland...
, the overall No. 1 pick in the 1962 NFL Draft
1962 NFL Draft
The 1962 National Football League Draft was held on December 4, 1961.-Player selections:-Round one:* HOF: Member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:...
, whom the Browns had acquired in a trade. The Browns retired both Davis' uniform number "45" and Fleming's "46" in memory of the players. Fleming Field at Shadyside High School, Fleming's alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, is named in his memory. When the Browns practiced at Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (Hiram College), the field house they used also carried Fleming's name.
Fleming was nominated for the Florida Sports Hall of Fame within days of his death, and he was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1950–1959
- History of the Cleveland BrownsHistory of the Cleveland BrownsThis article details the history of the Cleveland Browns American Football Club.-1946–1949: The AAFC years:The Cleveland Browns were founded in 1944 by owner Arthur 'Mickey' McBride and head coach Paul Brown and started play in 1946...
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of University of Florida alumni