Doug Dieken
Encyclopedia
Douglas Heye Dieken is a former American football
offensive tackle who played fourteen seasons in the National Football League
with the Cleveland Browns
.
In college, Doug was a tight end
on an Illinois
team that hardly passed at all, and so he was not taken until the sixth round of the 1971 draft
. His first game in a Browns uniform was an exhibition game
against the Chicago Bears
that happened to be the game used as a backdrop for the movie Brian's Song
which was released in November 1971. After improving rapidly during his first year with the Browns, the coaches seemed to think he could take over for left tackle Dick Schafrath
. He did, and became only the third left tackle in the team's history. Excellent at both run and pass blocking, Dieken proved to be an outstanding player and an iron man. He not only went to the Pro Bowl
, but he set team records with 194 straight starts and 203 consecutive games played. Doug also proved to be a fine citizen, winning the NFL Man of the Year Award following the 1982 season, and adding his name and efforts to a number of worthy Cleveland area charities.
Dieken currently serves as a color commentator
on Browns radio broadcasts, as well as appearing on Browns themed programming on WKYC channel 3 in Cleveland (NBC
) and SportsTime Ohio
. Combining his days on the field with his broadcasting experience, he has drawn a paycheck from the Browns (as a player or broadcaster) for a total of 35 years. (Doug played offensive tackle from 1971 to 1984, and has served as a radio/TV broadcaster from 1984 to present, taking a break when Cleveland was without a team from 1996 to 1998).
For his service to the team as an outstanding offensive tackle, Doug was inducted into the prestigious Cleveland Browns Legends in 2006.
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...
offensive tackle who played fourteen seasons 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...
with 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...
.
In college, Doug was a tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
on an Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...
team that hardly passed at all, and so he was not taken until the sixth round of the 1971 draft
1971 NFL Draft
The 1971 National Football League Draft was held on January 28–29, 1971.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
. His first game in a Browns uniform was an exhibition game
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
against the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
that happened to be the game used as a backdrop for the movie Brian's Song
Brian's Song
Brian's Song is a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week that recounts the details of the life of Brian Piccolo , a Wake Forest University football player stricken with terminal cancer after turning pro, told through his friendship with Chicago Bears running back teammate and Pro Football Hall of Famer Gale...
which was released in November 1971. After improving rapidly during his first year with the Browns, the coaches seemed to think he could take over for left tackle Dick Schafrath
Dick Schafrath
Richard Philip "Dick" Schafrath is a retired offensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns, former Ohio State Senator and author. During his tenure as an athlete, he won a national football championship with the 1957 Ohio State University Buckeyes and the 1964 NFL Championship with the Cleveland Browns...
. He did, and became only the third left tackle in the team's history. Excellent at both run and pass blocking, Dieken proved to be an outstanding player and an iron man. He not only went to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
, but he set team records with 194 straight starts and 203 consecutive games played. Doug also proved to be a fine citizen, winning the NFL Man of the Year Award following the 1982 season, and adding his name and efforts to a number of worthy Cleveland area charities.
Dieken currently serves as a color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
on Browns radio broadcasts, as well as appearing on Browns themed programming on WKYC channel 3 in Cleveland (NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
) and SportsTime Ohio
SportsTime Ohio
SportsTime Ohio is a regional sports network in Cleveland and northern Ohio, launched in 2006. It was created to air Cleveland Indians games, and is owned by the family which owns the team. It is also the cable television home of the Cleveland Browns...
. Combining his days on the field with his broadcasting experience, he has drawn a paycheck from the Browns (as a player or broadcaster) for a total of 35 years. (Doug played offensive tackle from 1971 to 1984, and has served as a radio/TV broadcaster from 1984 to present, taking a break when Cleveland was without a team from 1996 to 1998).
For his service to the team as an outstanding offensive tackle, Doug was inducted into the prestigious Cleveland Browns Legends in 2006.