Ernie James Kellerman (also Kellermann) (born December 17, 1943) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills.[1] He played college football at Miami University.
| No. 24 | |||||
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| Position: | Safety | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | December 17, 1943 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 183 lb (83 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | St. Peter Chanel (OH) | ||||
| College: | Miami (Ohio) | ||||
| NFL draft: | 1965 / round: 12 / pick: 159 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Early years
editKellerman played quarterback and defensive back for the St. Peter Chanel High School Firebirds and he was a member of the first graduating class of the school in 1961.
He accepted a scholarship from Miami University, where he was coached by John Pont and Bo Schembechler. He became a three-time All-Mid-American Conference quarterback from 1962 to 1964. He established 14 records and is still Miami University's all-time total offensive leader with 3,978 yards. His biggest game passing came against Houston in the 1962 Tangerine Bowl when he completed 17 of 40 passes for 265 yards.[2]
In his senior year, he set four passing records by completing 88 of 149 passes for 1,260 yards and a completion percentage of .591. His 88-yard touchdown pass enabled Miami to defeat Purdue, 10–7, for the upset of the collegiate football season in 1962.[3]
Professional career
editKellerman was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the twelfth round (159th overall) of the 1965 NFL draft. He was converted into a defensive back, but was waived on September 13.
In 1965, he was signed to the taxi squad of his hometown Cleveland Browns based on a recommendation from Schembechler. The next year, he made the team as a safety and played through the 1971 season, recording 17 interceptions over those six seasons. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1968;[4] he intercepted six passes that year, his highest season total. His lone NFL touchdown came in 1969 on an interception return against the Green Bay Packers.[5] He was released during final roster cuts on September 12, 1972.[6]
Kellerman played for Cincinnati Bengals in 1972 and the Buffalo Bills in 1973 before retiring.
References
edit- ^ Palmer, Pete; Pullis, Ken; Lahman, Sean; Silverman, Matthew; Gillette, Gary. The ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia: First Edition, p. 375. ESPN Books, 2006. ISBN 978-1-4027-4216-3.
- ^ Toledo Blade. "Houston Mauls Miami in Tangerine, 49 to 21". December 23, 1962, p. 2-1. Retrieved on June 12, 2013.
- ^ Chandler, John. "Miami's Victory Over Purdue Is Top Upset". Park City Daily News, December 23, 1962, p. 22. Retrieved on June 12, 2013.
- ^ Palmer et al., p. 1361.
- ^ Johnson, Chuck. "Browns Break Tradition, Defeat Packers"[permanent dead link]. Milwaukee Journal, December 8, 1969, p. 17. Retrieved on June 12, 2013.
- ^ "Kellermann Is Cut By Browns". Akron Beacon Journal. September 12, 1972. p. 8. Retrieved September 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.