Emerson Cole

Emerson Elvin Cole (December 10, 1927 – June 4, 2019) was an American professional football fullback and linebacker who played for the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears in the National Football League (NFL) in the early 1950s. He played college football at the University of Toledo, and still held the school record for rushing yards in a single season, with 1,162, as of 2013.

Cole was born in Illinois and grew up in Swanton, Ohio, where he was a standout athlete in high school. He attended Toledo on an athletic scholarship and was a mainstay on the football team between 1947 and 1949, setting several school records. The Browns selected him late in the 1950 NFL draft, and groomed him as the replacement for Marion Motley. Cole ran for more than 100 yards in 1950, when the Browns won the NFL championship, and saw his playing time increase the following year after Motely was injured. He was cut, however, in 1952 after coming into conflict with head coach Paul Brown.

After a short stint with the Chicago Bears, Cole retired from football and became a deputy sheriff back in Ohio. He later held jobs with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, including as the statewide compliance director. He retired in 1986. Cole was inducted into Toledo's athletics hall of fame in 1984.

Early life and college Cole was born in Carrier Mills, Illinois, where his father worked as a miner. His family shuttled back and forth between Illinois and Toledo, Ohio when he was a child as his father got seasonal work in mines and at a foundry in Toledo. They bought a farm and settled in Swanton, Ohio, a small town near Toledo, in 1938. Cole attended the local Swanton High School, where he played football and baseball and ran track. He became the starting tailback in his sophomore year and played on the team for three seasons. He was named the team's Most Valuable Player once.

After graduating in 1946, Cole attended the University of Toledo on an athletic scholarship. As of 2013, he holds the Toledo Rockets single-season rushing record, with 1,162 yards, and is second in career touchdowns and touchdowns in a season. He is also a member of Swanton High School's hall of fame.

He died on 4 June 2019, at the age of 91.