Horace Gillom facts for kids
Gillom on a 1951 football card
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| No. 59, 84 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Punter End |
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| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | March 3, 1921 Roanoke, Alabama |
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| Died: | October 28, 1985 (aged 64) Los Angeles, California |
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| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 221 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Massillon Washington (Massillon, Ohio) |
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| College: | Ohio State, Nevada | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
Horace Albert "Big Horse" Gillom (March 3, 1921 – October 28, 1985) was an amazing American football punter and end. He played for ten seasons with the Cleveland Browns from 1947 to 1956. His coach, Paul Brown, who also coached Gillom in high school and college, said he was his best all-around high school player. Brown even said there "has never been a better punter than Horace."
Horace Gillom was known for his powerful kicks and how he changed punting in football. He stood further back from the center than other punters. This gave him more room to kick the ball. His kicks were also very high, which gave his teammates more time to run down the field. This helped them stop the other team from returning the punt.
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Early Life and High School Football
Horace Gillom grew up in Massillon, Ohio. He went to Massillon Washington High School. There, he became a star player on the football team. He played as an end, a linebacker, and a punter. His older brother, Odell, was also a great end.
Gillom's junior high coach, Bud Houghton, noticed something special about his punting. Horace needed a bit more space to get his kicks off. So, Houghton moved him 15 yards behind the snapper instead of the usual 10 yards. This small change made a big difference.
Gillom was a favorite of his high school coach, Paul Brown. Brown later wrote that there "has never been a better punter than Horace." Gillom played for the Massillon Tigers from 1938 to 1940. During these years, the team won every single game. They also won two High School Football National Championships. Gillom was an All-Ohio player. He set school records for points scored and touchdown passes caught in a season. His record of 108 points in a season still stands today!
College and Military Service
In 1941, Paul Brown became the head football coach at Ohio State University. He recruited Horace Gillom to play there. Gillom played on Ohio State's freshman team as an end. However, he had trouble keeping up with his classes. He left school in January 1942 because of his grades.
After leaving Ohio State, Gillom joined the United States Army during World War II. He served for three years. He fought in Europe and was part of the famous Battle of the Bulge. Horace earned three Bronze Star Medals for his service.
After the war, Paul Brown became the head coach of the new Cleveland Browns team. Brown wanted Gillom to play for him again. But first, he helped Gillom go to the University of Nevada, Reno in 1946. Gillom led the country in punting that year. However, he again left school in December due to academic difficulties.
Playing for the Cleveland Browns
Horace Gillom joined the Cleveland Browns in early 1947. He was one of the first African-American players on the team. Before his first season, he played in the College All-Star Game. In this game, the college stars beat the National Football League (NFL) champions, the Chicago Bears.
With the Browns, Gillom was mainly the team's punter. He also played as a defensive end. In his first year, he was second in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for punting average. The Browns had a great season, winning the AAFC championship.
His teammate, Sherman Howard, later said, "Gillom had such a powerful leg and kicked the ball so far." Howard also noted that Gillom started the trend of punters standing 15 yards back. "He would kick it so high that by the time guys got down, the ball was coming down, so most guys had to fair catch." This "hang time" made it hard for opponents to return his punts.
In 1948, Gillom also played as an offensive end when Dante Lavelli was injured. The Browns had a perfect season that year, winning every game. They won the AAFC championship again. They won their third AAFC championship in 1949. After that season, the AAFC league ended. The Browns then joined the more established NFL.
The Browns continued their winning ways in the NFL. In 1950, they won the NFL championship against the Los Angeles Rams. Gillom's punts were a big reason for their success. His kicks often pinned the other team deep in their own territory. He was second in the league in punting average that year.
The Browns reached the championship game in the next three seasons but lost each time. However, Gillom continued to shine. He led the NFL in punting in 1951 and 1952. In 1952, he was chosen for the Pro Bowl, which is football's all-star game.
Gillom's unique punting style became very influential. His long, high kicks and standing further back from the center were copied by many punters after him. This method gave him more space to kick. It also made it harder for opposing players to block his kicks.
The Browns won two more NFL championships in 1954 and 1955. Gillom was still a consistent punter. However, his skills started to decline a bit in his later years. In 1956, at 35 years old, he was the oldest player on the team. He was released from the team in November of that year.
When he retired, Horace Gillom's career punting average was 43.8 yards. This was the second-best in NFL history at the time! He never averaged below 41.2 yards per punt in any season. He was among the top three punters in his league for six of his eight full seasons. Because his punts were so long and high, opponents rarely returned them for touchdowns. He punted over 400 times before one was returned for a touchdown. He also caught 43 passes as an end in 1948 and 1949. Coach Paul Brown called him "the best all around athlete I coached at Massillon."
Later Life and Legacy
In 1961, Horace Gillom tried to make a comeback in football. He tried out for the New York Titans of the American Football League. But he was released before playing in a game.
He moved to Los Angeles in 1964. There, he worked as a security guard for the city's recreation department. He helped keep parks safe. He once said, "Any playground having trouble they call on me."
Horace Gillom lived in Los Angeles for the rest of his life. He passed away in 1985. He had a son and a daughter with his wife, Mamie.
In 2007, Gillom was named a Cleveland Browns Legend. This honor is given to the best players in the team's history. In 2009, he was inducted into Stark County, Ohio's high school football hall of fame. Gillom still holds the Browns record for the longest punt, which was 80 yards! He is also second in career punting yards for the team.
