Former Cleveland Browns center Fred Hoaglin, who earned a Pro Bowl nod during his years in Cleveland and later coached the New York Giants to two Super Bowl titles, died Aug. 1 in South Carolina. He was 82.
The Browns drafted Hoaglin in the sixth round of the 1966 NFL draft, selecting him 93rd overall out of the University of Pittsburgh. An injury to starting center John Morrow created an opening, and Hoaglin started the final six games of his rookie season for Cleveland.
He locked in as the full-time starter in 1967 and helped the Browns capture three consecutive division championships from 1967 through 1969. In 1969, the same year he made his only Pro Bowl appearance, Hoaglin anchored the offensive line during one of the franchise’s stronger stretches of that era.
Hoaglin was born Jan. 28, 1944, in Alliance, Ohio, and grew up in nearby East Palestine. At East Palestine High School he played three sports and contributed to a Tri-County League football championship in 1960. He graduated in 1962 and was later inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.
A skinny athlete who weighed around 170 pounds in high school, Hoaglin did not initially picture a long NFL career. Pittsburgh assistant coach Steve Petro offered him a scholarship, and at Pitt he moved from tackle to center.
He became a starter in 1965, played in the North-South All-Star Game and graduated in 1968 with a degree in industrial engineering.
After his time in Cleveland, Hoaglin continued his playing career with the Baltimore Colts, Houston Oilers and expansion Seattle Seahawks. Across 11 NFL seasons he appeared in 142 games and made 89 starts.
Once his playing days ended, Hoaglin moved into coaching. He began with the Detroit Lions in 1978. In 1985 he joined the New York Giants as offensive line coach under Bill Parcells, remaining through 1992 and working alongside assistants that included Tom Coughlin.
The Giants won Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXV while Hoaglin was on the staff. Over those eight seasons the team posted a 79-48 regular-season record and went 7-2 in the playoffs.
By the franchise’s own count, that made him the most successful offensive line coach in Giants history.
Years later, former Giants linebacker Harry Carson remembered asking Hoaglin about bringing the 1986 championship group back together. Hoaglin told him that driving to practice always reminded him how lucky he was to coach those players because they made the job straightforward.
Hoaglin followed Parcells to the New England Patriots in 1993 and coached their offensive line through the 1996 AFC championship season. He then joined Coughlin in Jacksonville as tight ends coach, staying through 2001. The Jaguars reached the AFC championship game in 1999.
Hoaglin is survived by his wife, Jan, two children, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
For Browns fans who watched him snap the ball and open holes during those late-1960s division-winning seasons, his death marks the loss of a steady presence from a memorable chapter in franchise history.
