First African American Punter in the NFL - Horace Gillom

Horace Albert "Big Horse" Gillom was one of the first African American (black) athletes to play professional football and was the first African American punter in the NFL, but never saw himself as a pioneer in that regard. Gillom's son Dennis said his father never outwardly saw himself as a pioneer for other blacks. "He never talked about it, I'm sure he knew subconsciously. In fact, my father never carried that around and he really never talked about his football career. He was very normal at home. If you didn't know who he was, you would've never guessed he was a football player. You just wouldn't know. He was such a normal person." Humble Horace

Horace Gillom was a versatile American football player in the American Football Conference and the National Football League (NFL). Not only did he excel as the first full-time African American punter in the NFL he was also a reliable receiver (end). He played ten seasons for the Cleveland Browns between 1947 and 1956. Cleveland head coach Paul Brown, who coached Gillom in high school, college and professionally, called him the best all-round high school player and once said, "Never been a better player than Horace."

Punting Accomplishments:

• Horace Gillom is credited on how punters in todays game line up at 15 yards from the line of scrimmage prior to the snap
• 80-yard punt in 1954 is still the longest regular season punt in Cleveland Browns history (he also had a 75 & 73-yarder during his career)
• Led NFL in punting average - 1951
• Led NFL in punting average - 1952
• Selected to Pro Bowl - 1952
• Ranked 2nd in NFL in punting average - 1947,'50, '53, & '54

Gillom's high, booming kicks were noted for their hang time, and he needed more steps (2-3) so he lined up 15 yards behind center, rather than the 10-12 yards from the line of scrimmage that was typical during his era.