The guy with the cool hair and steady hand

Bobby Franklin’s nickname was “Wavy.”

Why?

Because his best buddy on the Browns, Pro Football Hall of Famer Gene Hickerson, with whom he played collegiately at Mississippi, thought his thick, black wavy hair, the kind of hair that every young guy would die for, was cool. And when one of the best pulling guards the NFL has ever seen thinks your hair is something special, you go with it. Why not?

The guy with the cool hair — and, as we would find out later, great and unwavering faithfulness toward his friend — died last week. He was 88.

After playing quaterback for the Rebels, Franklin was a defensive back for his seven seasons (1960-66) in Cleveland and also the holder for Hall of Fame kicker Lou Groza.

Browns founding head coach Paul Brown is known for being an offensive genius, but, unfortunately, he has never gotten any praise for his acumen on special teams, being the first head coach to place a real importance on that phase of the game. Franklin was part of that, because Brown wasn’t going to put just anyone back there to square up the ball for “The Toe.” He wanted the best, which is why Franklin got the job.

Brown’s successor, Blanton Collier, felt the same way. That served the Browns well in the 1964 NFL Championship Game played in cold conditions at Cleveland Stadium, as Franklin steadied the ball perfectly for both of Groza’s field goals, including a 43-yarder in the third quarter that broke a scoreless tie and got the team jump-started toward a stunning 27-0 upset victory over the Baltimore Colts.

But as impressive as all that was, it pales in comparison to the way Franklin steadied Hickerson in the Hall of Famer’s latter years when he had health and emotional issues and began closing people out of his life. Wavy was one of only a few people to whom Hickerson would listen.

Steve King