Gene Hickerson

Guard

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One of the best - and fastest - offensive linemen in the Southeastern Conference while playing tackle at Mississippi, Hickerson was a seventh-round draft choice of the Browns in 1957 as a future pick. After he finished his final season with the Rebels, he joined the Browns in 1958 and was moved to guard to take advantage of his speed. He served as a messenger guard for head coach Paul Brown for his first four seasons before Blanton Collier took over in 1963 and abandoned the messenger system and made him a full-time starter. Hickerson was sidelined for all of 1961 with a broken leg suffered in the preseason opener and also sat out the first two games of '62, but then he never missed another contest, finishing his career with a then club-record 165 consecutive games played (he's now fifth). His 202 games played overall are fourth-best on the Browns, and his 15 seasons rank third. Born in Trenton, Tenn. on Feb. 15, 1935, he blocked for three HOF running backs in Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell and Leroy Kelly. He was a first-team All-NFL pick five straight years (1966-70) and made it to six consecutive Pro Bowls (1966-71) while also being named to the NFL's All-Decade team for the 1960s.