Bob McKay, the first-round offensive tackle who spent six seasons protecting Cleveland Browns quarterbacks and opening holes in the early 1970s, died Thursday. He was 78.
McKay arrived in Cleveland as the 21st overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft after starring at Texas. He played 67 games for the Browns, starting 54 of them, and helped the club reach the playoffs in 1971 and 1972.
The 6-foot-5, 260-pound lineman started every game in 1971 and most of 1972. He lined up at right tackle and later at guard, giving the Browns a physical presence on the line during a stretch when the franchise still regularly contended.
Cleveland lost to the Baltimore Colts 20-3 in the 1971 AFC playoffs and fell to the Miami Dolphins the following January. McKay started both postseason games. He later started another playoff contest with New England in 1976.
McKay finished his nine-year NFL career with 105 regular-season games and 71 starts. He recovered two fumbles. After the 1975 season the Browns traded him to the Patriots, where he played three more years before retiring following the 1978 season.
One of the most memorable — and ugly — moments of his Cleveland tenure came Oct. 5, 1975, at Municipal Stadium. During a 42-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Hall of Famer Joe Greene repeatedly kicked McKay in the groin after a play. Browns center Tom DeLeone and tight end Gary Parris jumped in, and McKay threw punches of his own before officials restored order.
Former Browns tackle Doug Dieken later recalled the aftermath with typical bluntness.
“Joe Greene got fined like $500; DeLeone got fined like $100,” Dieken said. “And, Bob McKay got fined for getting kicked in the groin.”
McKay’s roots were far from Cleveland. He was born Dec. 27, 1947, in Seminole, Texas, and grew up in the small West Texas town of Crane. He starred at end for Crane High School, earning second-team all-state honors, and was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 2012.
Darrell Royal recruited him to Texas in 1966. McKay developed into a cornerstone of the Wishbone offense that defined the Longhorns’ late-1960s teams. In his final two college seasons Texas went 20-1-1, won two Southwest Conference titles and captured two Cotton Bowl victories.
The 1969 team finished 11-0, won the national championship and beat Notre Dame 21-17 in the Cotton Bowl. McKay earned consensus first-team All-America and All-Southwest Conference honors that year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor in 1990.
Browns fans who watched those early-1970s teams remember a reliable, no-nonsense tackle who did the dirty work without seeking attention. He never made a Pro Bowl, but he started the bulk of Cleveland’s games for half a decade and gave the line stability when the team still expected to play in January.
A celebration of life is expected to be announced later. For a generation of Browns supporters, McKay remains part of the last era when Cleveland regularly reached the postseason with homegrown toughness and first-round talent on the offensive line.
