Gene Cronin, who played linebacker and defensive end for seven seasons in the NFL, passed away on September 17. He was 90 years old. Cronin played for the Detroit Lions from 1956 to 1959, the Dallas Cowboys in 1960, and the Washington Redskins in 1961 and 1962. He was a starter on the Lions team that beat the Cleveland Browns for the NFL Championship in 1957. Cronin was an original Dallas Cowboy, acquired from the Lions in the 1960 NFL Expansion Draft.
Cronin played college football at the University of the Pacific. He was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame in 1984.
Today’s card of the day is Cronin’s 1961 Fleer card. The card pictures him with the Cowboys, but he played for the Redskins in 1961. He also appeared on a 1959 Topps football card.
