Dante Bert Joseph "Gluefingers" Lavelli (February 23, 1923 – January 20, 2009) was an American football end (wide receiver) who played for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference and National Football League from 1946 to 1956.[1] He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975.
[edit] High school career
Lavelli played football for Hudson High School in Hudson, Ohio. He graduated in 1941. Hudson High's current stadium is named in honor of him.
[edit] College career
Lavelli attended the Ohio State University, where the Browns' first coach Paul Brown was then coaching, but played just three games before a knee injury ended his season. While at Ohio State he was a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. He joined the U.S. Army before the start of the 1943 season to fight in World War II. He landed at Omaha Beach, and was in Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.[2]
[edit] Professional career
Nicknamed "Gluefingers", Lavelli was an original member of the Browns franchise, where he starred alongside American football legends like Otto Graham, Lou Groza and Marion Motley. Lavelli quickly became Graham's top passing target and led the AAFC in receiving as a rookie, also catching the game-winning touchdown pass in the 1946 championship game.
He was part of four Browns championships from 1946 to 1949 in the AAFC and three more NFL championships in 1950, 1954 and 1955. During the team's inaugural year in the NFL in 1950, Lavelli caught 11 passes in the NFL Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Overall in his career, Lavelli caught 386 passes for 6,488 yards and 62 touchdowns in 11 seasons.
Lavelli resided in the Cleveland suburb of Westlake with his wife Joy. He had three grown children: Lucinda, Edward and Lisa, as well as four grandchildren: Aaron, Danielle, Noah and Luke. After he retired from football, he went into the furniture business and ran a store known as Lavelli's Furniture in Rocky River, Ohio. He died in 2009 at the age of 85.[3] Personal life. Dante Levelli sold cars during the off season of his professional career.
On January 20, 2009 he died at age 85 at Fairview Hospital from complications of kidney and bladder infections as well as congestive heart failure.
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