Long before there was a Myles Garrett, who is headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday, there was a Len Ford, who is already there, and a little later a Bill Glass and a Paul Wiggin, who are in the Hall of the Very Good.

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That is the lineage of the four greatest defensive ends in Browns history.

And now only Garrett remains with us.

Then last surviving member of the other three, Wiggin, passed away on Saturday. He was 91.

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Wiggin spent his entire 11-year NFL playing career, 1957-67, with the Browns and, of course, is best remembered for his performance almost exactly 61 years ago in the stunning 27-0 upset victory over the Baltimore Colts in the 1964 NFL Championship Game. He and Glass, with whom he played from 1962-67, were instrumental parts of the greatest defensive effort in club history. With Wiggin penetrating from the left side and Glass from the right side, and tackles Dick Modzelewski and Jim Kanicki and, on occasion, linebacker Vince Costello, swarming up the middle, Colts quarterback John Unitas and running back Lenny Moore had nowhere to go. Unitas, among the five greatest quarterbacks ever, passed for only 95 yards with two interceptions, and Moore, also a Hall of Famer, rushed for but 40 yards. That’s akin to holding both LeBron James and, say, Donovan Mitchell to single-digits scoring.

But all that is common knowledge, even now, three generations later. It is part of a lore that will forever be passed down through time, like a Browns heirloom. The story behind the story, however, and one that has never really been told, is what kind of man Wiggin was. In that way, too, he was special.

Wiggin was extremely intelligent — after all,,he went to Stanford and earned a master’s degree — but he was also summa cum laude when it came to understanding, and appreciating, the finer points of the game.

About 20 years ago, when Wiggin returned with members of the 1964 “world” champions to be honored by the Browns, he became emotional in trying to convey just how much it meant to him to have played for the Browns. It was really one of the best moments in team history because he articulated so well, and with such passion and emotion, what a lot of Browns players back then felt, and thought.

As the Browns try to become a winner again, it is the standard —love and be proud of what you do, and where you do it and for whom — that still needs to be set both on the field, and off it.

Steve King

For the Football Strategist:

• Sports Illustrated Football’s Greatest: Pro & College Legends
• Take Your Eye Off the Ball 2.0 by Pat Kirwan – A Guide to Watching Football Like a Pro

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