Fred Hoaglin, a former Pro Bowl offensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns, died earlier this month. He was 82 years old.
A sixth-round pick in the 1966 NFL Draft by the Browns, the Ohio native played 87 games as a center over seven seasons with Cleveland. He played for three other teams before ending his playing career in 1976 and going on to be a very successful assistant coach.
NFL historian Fred Gallagher passed along the news.
“RIP Fred Hoaglin. Fred battled in the NFL trenches for eleven seasons, seven of which as the center for the #Browns. A 1969 Pro Bowler, he anchored a Cleveland line that won four division titles in a five-year span,” Gallagher posted.
RIP Fred Hoaglin🕯️
Fred battled in the NFL trenches for eleven seasons, seven of which as the center for the #Browns.
A 1969 Pro Bowler, he anchored a Cleveland line that won four division titles in a five-year span.
In 1976, he became the first starting center in Seahawks… https://t.co/NwCTIqvla4 pic.twitter.com/oBuw5GhmSF
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) August 9, 2026
Hoaglin reportedly died on Aug. 1 in South Carolina. According to The Review, Hoaglin was a three-sport high school athlete who also played basketball and ran track, and he was part of the East Palestine Distinguished Hall of Fame’s first induction class in 2002.
After playing football and golf at the University of Pittsburgh, he was chosen No. 93 overall in the 1966 draft. After center John Morrow was injured, Hoaglin was called on to start the final six games of his rookie season.
He would go on to start every game over the next four seasons, which was a very successful period for Cleveland. The Browns won the NFL’s Century Division three straight years, from 1967-69, and reached the conference championship twice under head coach Blanton Collier, falling just short of Super Bowls III and IV.
Hoaglin was named to the Pro Bowl team in 1969. That year, he helped Leroy Kelly and Ron Johnson combine for almost 1,300 rushing yards.
The Browns traded Hoaglin to the Baltimore Colts before the 1973 season, and he played one year for them before two with the Houston Oilers. He finished his career with the Seattle Seahawks, becoming the expansion team’s first center.
Hoaglin entered coaching as an assistant with the Detroit Lions in 1978, and he later moved on to the New York Giants. There, under head coach Bill Parcells, he helped New York win Super Bowls XXI and XVI.
After following Parcells to the New England Patriots, Hoaglin finished his career working with head coach Tom Coughlin on the Jacksonville Jaguars from 1997-2001. He eventually would serve as an assistant coach at Hilton Head (S.C.) High School.
It is an impressive career and life for one of Ohio’s own.
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