Doug Dieken

Douglas Heye Dieken (born February 12, 1949 in Streator, Illinois) 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, adding his name and efforts to a number of worthy Cleveland area charities.

Dieken currently serves as a color commentator on Browns radio broadcasts. 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.

External links

• Cleveland Browns Honor Roll

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