The Cleveland Browns have won four NFL championships in their history – in 1950, 1954, 1955, and 1964.
With so much focus on these championship seasons, there is a tendency to forget Browns players who joined the team after 1955 and left the team before 1964.
One such player is end Rich Kreitling.
However, Kreitling should not be forgotten; over five seasons from 1959 to 1963, Kreitling was a solid wide receiver, who started for four seasons and contributed to Cleveland having a winning season in each year.
• Happy 84th Birthday to @IlliniFootball grad Rich Kreitling. Among his 123 NFL career receptions were 17 touchdown catches. pic.twitter.com/hdYm9aR5SS
— Mike Pearson (@illinilegends) March 13, 2020
We take a look at the life of Rich Kreitling – before, during, and after his football playing career.
The Early Years Before College
Richard Allen “Rich” Kreitling was born in Chicago, Illinois on March 13, 1936.
His parents were Clarence and Martha Kreitling.
Kreitling attended Fenger High School in Chicago.
In 1954, Kreitling helped Fenger High School win the Chicago Prep Bowl (an annual game between a Chicago Public League team and a Chicago Catholic League team).
A listing in 2012 of the best football players in Illinois high school history included Kreitling as a receiver.
After graduating from Fenger High School in 1954, Kreitling headed to Auburn, Alabama to attend Auburn University (“Auburn”).
The College Years
Kreitling did not play football at Auburn and transferred to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (“Illinois”).
He lettered in football for two years at Illinois in 1957 and 1958.
In 1957, Kreitling started at wide receiver and caught 12 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns.
He led Illinois in all of pass receptions, pass reception yards, and touchdowns in 1957.
The Fighting Illini posted a 4-5 record in 1957, including a 34-13 Illinois win over Minnesota (then ranked fourth in the nation by the Associated Press) on October 19, 1957 and a 20-19 Illinois victory over Michigan (then ranked 11th in the nation by the Associated Press) on November 9, 1957.
On October 18, 1958, in a 20-8 Illinois defeat of Minnesota, Kreitling caught four passes for 166 yards, including 83-yard and 66-yard touchdown passes from Illinois quarterback Bob Hickey.
In a 21-8 Illinois triumph over Michigan on November 8, 1958, Kreitling caught three passes for 157 yards, all touchdowns – 83 yards and 60 yards from Illinois quarterback John Easterbrook, and 14 yards from Illinois quarterback Russ Martin.
• 61 years ago today – Nov. 8, 1958 – QB John Easterbrook threw touchdowns of 83 and 60 yards to Rich Kreitling to lead @IlliniFootball past Michigan, 21-8. pic.twitter.com/UhwM2nwPQx
— Mike Pearson (@illinilegends) November 9, 2019
For the 1958 season, Kreitling again started at wide receiver and caught 23 passes for 688 yards and five touchdowns.
His 29.9 average yards per pass reception in 1958 set an Illinois record (for players with at least three pass receptions) that still stands today for average yards per pass reception in a season.
Kreitling, in 1958, led the entire NCAA in pass reception yards and average yards per pass reception, the Big 10 in pass reception touchdowns, and Illinois in pass receptions (third in the Big 10 in pass receptions).
He was named at end third team College Football All-American by the Associated Press, second team College Football All-American by United Press International, and first team All-Big 10 by both the Associated Press and United Press International, for his play in 1958.
Illinois again had a 4-5 record in 1958, including a 16-0 Fighting Illini shutout of Michigan State (then ranked 20th in the nation by the Associated Press) on October 25, 1958 and a 27-20 Fighting Illini defeat of Northwestern (then ranked 20th in the nation by the Associated Press) on November 22, 1958.
Kreitling’s 25.5 career average yards per pass reception at Illinois set a Fighting Illini record (for players with at least three pass receptions) that still stands today.
After Illinois, Kreitling (who graduated from Illinois with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Physical Education) headed to the NFL.
The Pro Football Years
1959-1961
Kreitling was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 1959 NFL draft.
He was the 11th overall pick.
In 1959, Kreitling was one of eight rookies (joining linebacker Dave Lloyd, tackle Fran O’Brien, defensive back Bernie Parrish, defensive tackle Floyd Peters, quarterback Bob Ptacek, tackle Dick Schafrath, and guard John Wooten) to make the Browns roster.
Kreitling, at a height of six feet and two inches and a weight of 208 pounds, played in all 12, but did not start any, regular season games in 1959.
However, he did not have any pass receptions in 1959.
Cleveland had a 7-5 record in 1959.
In 1960, Kreitling became a bigger part of the Browns offense.
He replaced Preston Carpenter as a starting end and started all 12 regular season games in 1960.
On September 25, 1960, Kreitling had his first regular season pass reception, catching an 18-yard pass from Cleveland quarterback Milt Plum, in a 41-24 Browns win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
The following week, on October 2, 1960, Kreitling scored his first regular season touchdown, on a 60-yard touchdown pass from Milt Plum.
Kreitling caught three passes for 157 yards (including also a 69-yard pass reception), as Cleveland defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-20.
Kreitling had two pass receptions for 39 yards, in a 31-29 Browns loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on October 23, 1960.
The following week, on October 30, 1960, Kreitling caught three passes for 25 yards, in a 31-10 Cleveland triumph over the Washington Redskins.
Kreitling caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Milt Plum, in a 14-10 Browns loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 20, 1960.
On December 4, 1960, in a 27-16 Cleveland win over the Washington Redskins, Kreitling caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Milt Plum.
For the 1960 regular season, Kreitling caught 16 passes for 316 yards (his 19.8 average yards per pass reception led the Browns) and the above-described three touchdowns.
Cleveland posted an 8-3-1 record in 1960.
Kreitling contributed to the Browns offense ranking in the 1960 NFL regular season first in points scored (362), fifth in total passing and rushing yards (3,974), third in passing touchdowns (22), third in rushing yards (1,930), third in rushing touchdowns (18), and first in average yards per rushing attempt (5.0).
In 1961, Kreitling played in 13, and started 11, regular season games at end.
On October 1, 1961, Kreitling caught two touchdown passes from Milt Plum, for 16 yards and eight yards, in a 25-7 Cleveland victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
Kreitling caught three passes for 29 yards.
The following week, on October 8, 1961, Kreitling caught three passes for 35 yards, as the Browns defeated the Washington Redskins 31-7.
In the next game, on October 15, 1961, in a 49-17 Cleveland loss to the Green Bay Packers, Kreitling caught two passes for 26 yards.
The following week, on October 22, 1961, Kreitling caught three passes for 42 yards, in a 30-28 Browns triumph over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Kreitling caught two passes for 27 yards, in a 17-13 Cleveland loss to the Steelers on November 5, 1961.
The following week, on November 12, 1961, in a 17-6 Browns win over the Washington Redskins, Kreitling scored a touchdown on a nine-yard pass from Milt Plum.
In the next game, on November 19, 1961, Kreitling had two pass receptions for 26 yards, as Cleveland defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 45-24.
Kreitling caught two passes for 18 yards, in a 17-14 Browns loss to the Chicago Bears on December 10, 1961.
In 1961, Kreitling caught 21 passes for 229 yards and the above-described three touchdowns.
Cleveland had an 8-5-1 record in 1961.
Kreitling contributed to the Browns offense ranking in the 1961 NFL regular season second in rushing yards (2,163) and tied for fifth in average yards per rushing attempt (4.5).
1962-1964
In 1962, Kreitling started all 14 regular season games at end.
Kreitling caught four passes for 92 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown pass from Cleveland quarterback Jim Ninowski, in a 17-7 Browns win over the New York Giants on September 16, 1962.
The following week, on September 23, 1962, Kreitling caught eight passes for 72 yards, in a 17-16 Browns loss to the Washington Redskins.
In the next game, on September 30, 1962, Kreitling caught two passes for 17 yards, in a 35-7 Cleveland loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The following week, on October 7, 1962, in a 19-10 Browns victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Kreitling caught three passes for 62 yards.
In the next game, on October 14, 1962, Kreitling caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Jim Ninowski, in a 36-14 Cleveland loss to the Baltimore Colts.
Kreitling caught five passes for 65 yards.
The following week, on October 21, 1962, in a 34-7 Browns triumph over the St. Louis Cardinals, Kreitling caught three passes for 51 yards.
Kreitling caught two passes for 24 yards, in a 14-14 Cleveland tie with the Philadelphia Eagles on November 4, 1962.
The following week, on November 11, 1962, Kreitling again caught two passes for 24 yards, in a 17-9 Browns loss to the Washington Redskins.
In the next game, on November 18, 1962, Kreitling caught two passes for 41 yards, as Cleveland defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 38-14.
The following week, on November 25, 1962, in a 35-14 Browns win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kreitling caught five passes for 70 yards.
In the next game, on December 2, 1962, Kreitling caught seven passes for 125 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown pass from Cleveland quarterback Frank Ryan, in a 45-21 Browns loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
For the 1962 season, Kreitling caught 44 passes for 659 yards (leading Cleveland) and the above-described three touchdowns.
In 1962, the Browns had a 7-6-1 record.
Kreitling contributed, in 1962, to the Cleveland offense ranking in the NFL regular season third in rushing touchdowns (18) and fifth in average yards per rushing attempt (4.3).
In 1963, Kreitling again started all 14 regular season games at end.
On September 15, 1963, Kreitling caught three passes for 48 yards, in a 37-14 Browns triumph over the Washington Redskins.
Kreitling caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Frank Ryan, in a 20-6 Cleveland victory over the Los Angeles Rams on September 29, 1963.
The following week, on October 5, 1963, Kreitling scored a touchdown on a 19-yard pass from Frank Ryan, as the Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-23.
In the next game, on October 13, 1963, Kreitling (scoring for the third consecutive game) caught two touchdown passes from Frank Ryan, the first for 10 yards and the second for 11 yards, in a 35-24 Cleveland win over the New York Giants.
Kreitling caught three passes for 36 yards.
The following week, on October 20, 1963, Kreitling had one pass reception for 45 yards, in a 37-7 Browns triumph over the Philadelphia Eagles.
In the next game, on October 27, 1963, in a 33-6 Cleveland loss to the New York Giants, Kreitling caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Jim Ninowski.
On December 1, 1963, Kreitling caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Frank Ryan, in a 24-10 Browns victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Kreitling caught four passes for 47 yards.
The following week, on December 8, 1963, in a 38-10 Cleveland loss to the Detroit Lions, Kreitling caught two passes for 32 yards.
In the next game, on December 15, 1963, Kreitling caught three passes for 80 yards, in a 27-20 Browns win over the Washington Redskins.
Kreitling caught 22 passes for 386 yards and the above-described six touchdowns in 1963.
Cleveland, in 1963, had a 10-4 record.
With Kreitling at end, the Browns offense ranked in the 1963 NFL regular season third in points scored (343), fifth in total passing and rushing yards (4,856), third in passing touchdowns (27), first in rushing yards (2,639), tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns (15), and first in average yards per rushing attempt (5.7).
1963 was Kreitling’s last year with Cleveland.
On June 25, 1964, the Browns traded Kreitling to the Chicago Bears in exchange for defensive back Lowell Caylor, a second-round draft pick in the 1965 NFL draft (which Cleveland used to select defensive lineman Jim Garcia), and a third-round draft pick in the 1965 NFL draft (which Cleveland used to select running back Bo Scott).
Cleveland believed that it could trade Kreitling because the team had drafted Paul Warfield (who was to have a Pro Football Hall of Fame career at wide receiver) with its first-round draft pick in the 1964 NFL draft.
In 1964, with Chicago, Kreitling played in all 14, and started 12, regular season games at end.
For the 1964 season, Kreitling caught 20 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns.
1964 was Kreitling’s last regular season in the NFL, as he retired from professional football on August 30, 1965.
The Years After The NFL
After his retirement from the NFL, Kreitling lived in Florida and in Minnesota.
He was a longtime member of Lions Club and The Gideon’s International.
Kreitling died on May 9, 2020, at the age of 84, in Cannon Falls, Minnesota.
He was survived by his wife of 31 years, Nancy, five daughters, Kathy, Karen, Kristin, Karol, and Kendall, and three stepchildren, Dawn, Debra, and Steve.
Over his five seasons with the Browns from 1959 to 1963, Kreitling caught 103 passes for 1,590 yards and 15 touchdowns.
He also averaged 15.4 yards per pass reception.
In terms of Browns career pass reception statistics, Kreitling ranks 52nd in pass receptions, 43rd in pass reception yards, and tied for 24th in pass reception touchdowns.
Kreitling also ranks, among players with at least 50 pass receptions, 22nd in average yards per pass reception.
While these statistical rankings are good, when viewed from a certain historical perspective, they are even more impressive.
It is important to remember that Kreitling played at a time when passing was not as significant a part of football as it is today.
Over time, passing has become a more and more important element of offensive football in the NFL.
For example, the leading pass receiver in the NFL in 1962 was Bobby Mitchell (formerly of the Cleveland Browns) of the Washington Redskins with 72 pass receptions, in 1991 was Haywood Jeffries of the Houston Oilers with 100 pass receptions, and in 2020 was Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills with 127 pass receptions (one year after Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints led the NFL with 149 pass receptions in 2019).
If one only includes players who played before 1970, Kreitling ranks ninth in Browns career pass receptions (fifth just among wide receivers), eighth in Browns career pass reception yards (fifth just among wide receivers), ninth in Browns career pass reception touchdowns (fifth just among wide receivers), and, among players with at least 50 pass receptions, seventh in Browns career average yards per pass reception (sixth just among wide receivers).
The point is that Kreitling ranks among the top pass receivers in Cleveland history who played before 1970.
Had Kreitling played in later years, when passing was a larger aspect of the offense (and when perhaps the greatest running back in NFL history, Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown, was not in the backfield to receive carries), his statistical numbers undoubtedly would have been much higher.
It is also important to remember that Kreitling was a winner.
Although his Browns teams never made the playoffs, these teams never had a losing record.
Kreitling played for Cleveland after the championship teams of the 1950’s and just before the championship season of 1964.
However, in a sense, he was indirectly connected to these championship years by playing with fellow wide receivers Ray Renfro, who played on the 1954 and 1955 championship teams, and Gary Collins, who played on the 1964 championship team.
Browns fans should remember Rich Kreitling.
While he just missed individual championship glory, Kreitling was a solid player, who contributed to Cleveland winning many games over his five seasons with the team from 1959 to 1963.
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