Gene Hickerson, 73, former right guard for Browns

Gene Hickerson was voted to six straight Pro Bowls and was chosen for the league's All-Decade team of the 1960s. (Cleveland Browns via Associated Press/File)

BEREA, Ohio - Gene Hickerson, the Cleveland Browns Hall of Fame right guard whose blocking helped Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly, and Bobby Mitchell make the shrine, died after a long illness. He was 73.

Hall of Fame spokesman Joe Horrigan confirmed Mr. Hickerson's death. He said Mr. Hickerson's son, Bob, received a phone call from the facility in Olmsted Falls, Ohio, where his father was under care yesterday morning.

Mr. Hickerson was Brown's personal bodyguard on the field, clearing the way for No. 32, who called Mr. Hickerson "the greatest downfield blocker in the history of pro football."

"He was a great friend of mine, as well as a great protector of mine," Brown said in a statement released by the Browns. "He was a tremendous guard, a tremendous pulling guard, but also an outstanding individual.

"We all eventually leave this earth at some time, but I am so glad he was able to leave with his dignity and with the recognition from all of us - his former teammates, the fans and writers - who wanted him to go into the Hall of Fame after waiting so long for that honor."

At 6-foot-3, 248 pounds, Mr. Hickerson was small by today's gargantuan NFL standards. A sixth-round draft pick from Mississippi, he used his superior speed and quickness to beat defensive linemen off the ball. Mr. Hickerson was voted to six straight Pro Bowls and was chosen for the league's All-Decade team of the 1960s.

The Browns never had a losing record during his 15 years with them.

After his retirement in 1973 at 38, however, Mr. Hickerson's achievements went mostly unrecognized for decades. He was constantly overlooked for enshrinement in Canton, an omission that bothered him greatly, but one he never mentioned publicly.

"Gene never said much, but I know it really bothered him," teammate Bobby Franklin said. "He would usually make a joke about it, though. Somebody would ask Gene, 'When are you going to get to the Hall of Fame?' And Gene would say, 'I'm going to drive down there tomorrow.' "

Finally in 2007, he was elected for induction in a class with Michael Irvin, Thurman Thomas, Charlie Sanders, Bruce Matthews, and Roger Wehrli.

None of the other Hall of Famers had to wait as long as Mr. Hickerson, who sadly, by the time of the ceremony was in failing health and suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

"Everyone associated with the Cleveland Browns is saddened by the loss of Gene Hickerson," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said. "His tenacity as a blocker and toughness as a player epitomized what it means to be a Cleveland Brown."